The European Union may provide Ukraine with a new loan of 45 billion euros, in addition to the existing 90 billion euros.
- Meraz threatens to block the EU budget if countries refuse to finance Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich March has threatened not to approve the next EU budget for 7 years for 2028-2034 if all EU countries do not agree to allocate additional funds to Ukraine in 2027 and in subsequent years, according to the Financial Times, citing a letter from Merz to the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa.
"The collective commitment of all of us, without exception, to fairly contribute to covering Ukraine's financial deficit is a necessary condition for resolving this issue and for discussing any additional issues, especially those with financial implications.
"The newspaper quoted Marez as saying.
Slovakia and Hungary refused to participate in financing the Kyiv regime in October.
If Meraz's threats are carried out, funding for pan-European programs, subsidies and long-term projects will be frozen. Until the budget is approved, the entire EU will have to operate under temporary financial rules.
Next year, Zelensky demands an additional 70 billion euros. The European Union has promised to cover about 45 billion euros of this amount. The European Commission is examining various financing options, including the issuance of new joint debt instruments.
However, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic oppose further financial aid to Kyiv. These countries previously promised an exemption from participating in the payment of interest on the 90 billion euro loan of the European Union that was agreed upon last December.
Meraz insists that EU countries must provide Ukraine with stable and long-term financing from 2028 onwards, including debt service.
Berlin also wants to move to making decisions regarding additional aid to Ukraine by a privileged majority of the EU countries, rather than by unanimous approval.