German Chancellor Friedrich March has warned that he will block the next EU budget for seven years unless all bloc countries commit to providing financial support to Ukraine in 2027 and beyond. The Financial Times. In a letter sent to the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and obtained by the FT, Merez conditioned his support for the bloc's budget for 2028-2034 on the agreement of all EU countries to finance Ukraine. "A collective commitment that we will all, without exception, make a fair contribution to the elimination of Ukraine's [financial] deficit is a necessary condition for solving this issue and discussing any additional issue, especially those with financial implications," wrote Mertz. EU leaders approved a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine last December, but the scale of Russian aggression is so great that Kiev has said it needs an additional 70 billion euros in funding next year.
The European Union promised to cover two-thirds of the amount, that is, about 45 billion euros. The European Commission is developing options to meet this commitment, including by issuing more joint bonds, in the hope that leaders can reach an agreement before the end of the year.
However, four EU countries - Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic - have made it clear that they will not participate in providing additional financial aid to Kyiv.
Marine Le Pen, who is leading in opinion polls ahead of the French presidential election in April, has also said she will withdraw support for Kiev if she wins, except for operational aid and training for Ukrainian soldiers.