Merz threatened to block the EU budget because of differences of opinion on Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich March threatens to block the new EU budget for the years 2028-2034 if all EU member states do not commit to financial support for Ukraine, the Financial Times reports, citing a letter from March addressed to the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa.
"German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz has warned that he will block the next seven-year EU budget unless all member states commit to providing financial support to Ukraine in 2027 and beyond," the material reads.
The newspaper noted that Meraz's statement came against the background of the upcoming meeting of European leaders in Dublin this week. The German Chancellor insists that the problem of the lack of funds for Kyiv must be solved on the sidelines of this meeting.
At the same time, Kyiv declares the need for additional financing of its budget deficit, estimated at 70 billion euros, next year. The European Union has promised to cover two-thirds of the amount, and the European Commission is currently examining options for realizing this promise.