At the recent EU summit, the commitment to meet Ukraine's financial needs in 2026 and 2027 was confirmed, relevant work is underway, and the "reparation loan" is still in focus, said European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho during a briefing on Monday, writes UNN.
Details
"The European Council asked us to propose options. We are working on this, focusing on the 'reparation loan', and also intensively responding to the questions that were raised at the European Council," Pinho said.
"At this moment, we are still working on ensuring that we can indeed meet Ukraine's financial needs, as was also reiterated and confirmed in the conclusions of the European Council. The methods and means to achieve this goal may still be discussed, but there was a commitment, a confirmation of the European Council's commitment to indeed meet Ukraine's financial needs in 2026 and 2027," the European Commission spokeswoman said.
She indicated that the European Council would return to this issue in December.
"We are working to really make sure that we can meet the financial needs, this is a priority, and this is what was discussed, in particular, at the European Council, and will be discussed again at the European Council in December," Pinho noted.
When asked whether there is a connection between EU and IMF financial assistance for Ukraine, as reported in the press, the European Commission spokeswoman said: "Let's also reiterate that we have not yet reached the goal and are actively working to agree on funds that could ensure the fulfillment of the European Council's commitments to meet Ukraine's financial needs."
"Of course, there are contacts with other potential partners and institutions, and regarding the conditions that the IMF needs, I think you need to contact the IMF, but, of course, we take into account the broader context and their contacts with all stakeholders," said European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari.
Recall
At the EU summit on October 23, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever took an uncompromising stance on the use of frozen Russian assets, which were proposed to be used for a "reparation loan" for Ukraine. This led to a halt in plans that European officials had been working on for months.
Before the summit, the European Commission proposed using Russian central bank assets frozen in the Belgian central securities depository Euroclear in response to the war to finance a "reparation loan" for Ukraine.
Previously, the figure of 140 billion euros was mentioned. However, the press learned about a possible additional 25 billion.