BRUSSELS, March 6. /TASS/. EU members approved stepping up aid to Ukraine and a plan to militarize the bloc in a 26-0 vote, with Hungary abstaining, a European diplomat told reporters on the sidelines of an EU summit.

"EU's aid to Ukraine and the rearmament plan gained the support of 26 countries out of the total of 27," the diplomat said. "Hungary has abstained so far."

He added that discussions at the summit were still ongoing.

On March 4, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that she had proposed to EU leaders a 800 billion euros plan to rearm the bloc. Under the European Commission’s proposal, EU members could borrow up to 150 billion euros for defense. The commission would borrow the money on the capital markets and then loan it to member countries on the condition that they jointly purchase weapons in Europe. The money will be used to produce air defense systems in the EU and weapons for Ukraine.

The commission also suggested that member countries increase defense spending by 1.5% in an effort to raise another 650 billion euros for weapons production. This money should be raised as loans by individual EU countries. Additionally, the European Commission allowed money from the Cohesion Policy program to be disbursed as a stimulus measure for the defense industry.