The EU will propose a dedicated fund to keep Ukraine’s military stocked for the next four years at a cost of up to €20 billion.

Politico reported on this, citing numerous sources among diplomats familiar with the plan.

The proposal would not involve the EU directly paying for Ukraine’s weapons. Money from the fund will go to allied nations to cover their costs of purchasing and transferring property from their own stocks. It could be ammunition, missile weapons, armored vehicles, etc. Funding will also be able to cover the training of the Ukrainian military.

The new proposal, drafted by the EU’s diplomatic service, would effectively turbocharge the strategy.

The size of the defense fund should potentially increase almost five times compared to the €4 billion allocated last year.

The new plan would cement an ideological sea change for the EU, a self-described peace project. Before Russia invaded Ukraine, the concept of the EU subsidizing weapons shipments to a war zone would have been unthinkable. Now, the European Union is on the cusp of being enshrined for years to come.

Josep Borrell, the EU top diplomat, hinted at the idea during an EU leaders’ summit last month.

“You have to make Ukraine able to defend. So the European Peace Facility for Ukraine, maybe it has to become a new Ukrainian defense fund,” Borrell said.

The new military funding proposal was sent to EU countries on Monday for review, and EU foreign ministers will take it up on Thursday during a meeting in Brussels. The goal, said two of the diplomats, is to adopt the proposal by the fall.

The European Union has repeatedly tried to approve the gradual increase of Ukraine’s defense fund. However, this is hindered by political disputes and Hungary, which blocks the adoption of decisions.

“Our level of support to Ukraine in the military is now so high, that money allocated to the European Peace Facility for Ukraine will be soon exhausted,” said one senior EU official who spoke anonymously to Politico.

What the EU needs, the official argued, is to make its military support for Ukraine “predictable for the long term. So obviously, we are talking about a more substantial amount of money.”