The European fund, which aims to help member states of the European Union (EU) replace the weapons they send to Ukraine, is less and less able to cover the influx of requests for compensation – and it has not even made the first payment, the Politico website reports, citing. from News.ro.

Immediately after Russia invaded Ukraine, Brussels created a €500 million fund to encourage member states to arm Ukraine and force the EU to foot the bill. Brussels has decided that it will cover 85% of the costs, the site quotes the assessment of three diplomats.

Then the EU authorized an even bigger fund – 1.5 billion euros – and the bills started rolling in. The EU has received so many requests that Brussels estimates that, according to these estimates, the fund can only cover 46% of them.

Such a drop in percentage angered Poland – one of Ukraine’s largest EU arms suppliers and the main beneficiary of the fund – which billed 1.8 billion euros, according to quoted diplomats.

For four days, Warsaw blocked the final agreement on the payment of the second tranche of payments, hoping to get a higher percentage.

But he eventually relented on Wednesday and accepted 46 percent, these diplomats said.

Poland relented, but frustration grew in other EU member states, which see Warsaw blocking their own path to higher EU payments.

Thus, this “reparations” program risks affecting the EU’s reputation as a reliable military partner – while Ukraine is asking the Union for more and more weapons to counter-offensive and against Russian bombings.

Kyiv criticizes France and Germany for insufficient donations, while smaller EU countries announce that their supplies are running out.