The European Commission, while acknowledging the difficult circumstances Ukraine faces, nevertheless reiterates that macro-financial assistance to Kyiv and other EU funding allocations are contingent on the implementation of the reform program, European Commission spokesperson Balázs Ujvári said.
At a briefing in Brussels on Tuesday, he was asked what options are being considered for providing financial assistance to Ukraine in 2026 and 2027 in light of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement that that the country's 2026 defense budget has a deficit of $27 billion.
Ujvári said he had three key points on the matter: Ukraine needed to continue implementing reforms, international partners needed to make concrete commitments, and preparations for 2027 needed to begin.
He said that, with regard to the EUR 90 billion loan, the EU had so far allocated EUR 15 billion to Ukraine, while the target for 2026 was EUR 45 billion. He noted that the gap remained significant and that efforts needed to focus on reaching that target.
Ujvári added that Ukraine also needed to continue implementing reforms. He acknowledged the difficult situation in the country but said there was an agreed reform programme containing specific measures directly linked to the macro-financial assistance programme and the Ukraine Facility. He stressed that implementing those reforms was a prerequisite for allocating additional funds and said this would be the main focus of EU financial support for Ukraine this year.
He further said that even if the EU provided Ukraine with a EUR 90 billion loan this year and next, there would still be a shortfall of about EUR 45 billion. He said international partners therefore needed to step in and help, noting that the issue was regularly raised at G7 and G20 meetings. He cited Norway as a positive example, saying it had committed to provide $9 billion, and added that the EU expected other partners to follow that example as soon as possible.
Ujvári also said that, as the year drew to a close, it was time to begin planning for next year. He said the sides needed to agree on a financial strategy specifying the amounts to be allocated across three areas: a EUR 90 billion loan under the macro-financial assistance programme, the Ukraine Facility, and the defence component.
According to Ujvári, the European Commission was currently holding relevant negotiations with Ukraine. He added that the sooner the Commission received the final version of the document from the Ukrainian side, the better, as this would allow the decision to be adopted and provide predictability for next year.
