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BRUSSELS -- The Council of the European Union (EU) approved the creation of the Ukraine Assistance Fund (UAF) here on Monday and earmarked 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for it.

The decision was reached at EU's Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, where ministers discussed EU support for Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

UAF will allow the EU to further support the evolving needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces "through the provision of both lethal and non-lethal military equipment and training," the Council said.

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the EU has given or committed over 138 billion euros in aid to Ukraine, of which 28 billion euros was military support. (1 euro = 1.09 US dollar)