EU to provide Ukraine with EUR 2.7 bln in coming days – EU Commissioner Kos
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that the European Union will provide Ukraine with EUR 2.7 billion for budget support in the coming days.
"These days are good days for good news in relations between the EU and Ukraine, and I am very happy about it. Oil is flowing through the Druzhba pipeline, which means we will be able to release the 90 billion euro [loan], which is very, very important. Then the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine, is implementing reforms. Therefore, in the coming days, we will be able to pay 2.7 billion to the budget of Ukraine, partially taking care of their liquidity," she said in Brussels on Wednesday while speaking with journalists.
Kos said that today businesses are "ready or interested in coming to Ukraine."
"And that is what we want to see. We are talking about the reconstruction of Ukraine, it is already happening, but at the same time, what we are already doing is building a new Ukraine, not just reconstructing, but building a new Ukraine. And my message at the opening of the forum [the Ukraine-EU business summit] just now was this: now is the time to invest in Ukraine. For us, this is one of the most strategic investment destinations in Europe, innovative, full of potential and increasingly integrated into the EU internal market. And those who invest early will shape this future," the European Commissioner emphasized.
In addition, according to Kos, the EU is "helping to reduce risks."
"Investing there is risky, but we have many tools with which we can take measures to reduce risks. A new Ukraine is being built while bombs are falling on the country, and the EU remains Ukraine’s most committed supporter politically and financially," she said.