BRUSSELS, March 13. /TASS/. Ambassadors of 27 EU countries have agreed in principle to allocate another five billion euros to replenish the European Peace Facility in 2024 to supply weapons to Kiev, the Belgian presidency of the EU Council said.

"EU Ambassadors agreed in principle on a reform of the European Peace Facility, to support Ukraine with 5 billion euros budget for 2024," the presidency said on its X (formerly Twitter) page. "The EU remains determined to provide lasting support to Ukraine and ensure that the country gets the military equipment it needs to defend itself," the statement pointed out.

A decision on the replenishment of the fund is now expected to be taken by EU foreign ministers at a planned meeting in Brussels on March 18, after which the decision will come into force.

The European Peace Facility was established in 2021 to fund EU’s efforts in defense and security, including its peacekeeping operations. However, after the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the EU started using it to compensate its expenses for arms shipments to the Ukrainian army.