BRUSSELS

EU countries approved on Thursday a €1 billion ($1.1 billion) fund to reimburse member states that send ammunition to Ukraine from their own supplies.

The Council of the European Union announced in a statement that EU capitals officially adopted an “assistance measure worth €1 billion under the European Peace Facility (EPF) to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces” after last month’s political agreement of foreign ministers.

Based on the proposal of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, EU states that donate ammunition from their existing stocks or re-prioritize orders will be reimbursed by the EU budget.

The new decision brings the bloc’s total military aid for Ukraine to €4.6 billion.

Borrell hailed the implementation of the “historic agreement” on supplying artillery ammunition, and called it the best “demonstration of the EU’s united resolve and determination to continue supporting Ukraine’s legitimate right of self-defense against the brutal Russian aggressor.”

Under the deal, the bloc will dedicate a further €1 billion for joint procurements through the European Defense Agency and will place new orders at the European defense industry to speed up production to replenish stockpiles.

The original idea came from Estonian Premier Kaja Kallas, who suggested in February setting up a joint procurement system for purchasing arms for Ukraine in a similar way the bloc supported the development of COVID-19 vaccines and secured the supply of jabs.