EU Leaders Respond to EU Plan to Grant Ukraine a Loan
This decision means that Ukraine has secured financial support for the coming years.
The Gaze reports on it according to the Reuters.
The European Union agreed to grant Ukraine a loan of €90 billion ($105 billion), but will not yet use frozen Russian assets to secure this loan.
Here is what European leaders said about this agreement. Their statements were collected by Reuters on 19 December:
EU President Ursula von der Leyen:
‘We all have one clear goal — a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. We have reached an agreement that we can deliver on: financing Ukraine's needs for the next two years.’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz:
"I wanted to avoid member states or the European Union getting into debt right now. We are making an advance payment now, but it is secured by Russian assets that are immobilised for the long term. And they will only be released after this loan has been repaid, either through reparations from Russia or through access to these assets, thereby achieving exactly what I wanted: access to Russian assets to finance the war against Russia and defence against Russia."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni:
"I am glad that common sense has prevailed, that we have managed to secure the necessary resources with a decision that has a solid legal and financial basis. The issue of assets remains in the conclusions; I would remind you that the most important decision on this matter was taken a few days ago when we froze them, ensuring that they would not be returned."
French President Emmanuel Macron:
‘Not having a decision would have been a disaster. Fortunately, we made a decision. A clear decision, a clear commitment, with concrete results. This summit is very successful for Ukraine.’
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen:
"Today is a good example of how, when something is necessary, we are capable of doing it. But at the same time, we must say that many governments and leaders are under increasing pressure in their national political debates, parliaments, etc. Unfortunately, the situation in Europe is changing, and I must say that this is exactly what Putin is hoping for — a combination of a certain military fatigue with a hybrid war that brings a lot of uncertainty and insecurity to our societies."
To this we can add the statement by European Council President António Costa, which he published on X:
‘We made a commitment, and we delivered. The decisions taken by European leaders are a decisive contribution to achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Because the only way to bring Russia to the negotiating table is to strengthen Ukraine.’
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy:
‘This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience. It is important that Russian assets remain frozen and that Ukraine has received a guarantee of financial security for the coming years.’
Recall that European Union leaders announced victory after agreeing on a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to support Ukraine's financial stability and fight Russian aggression over the next two years, but this came at the expense of the EU's own funds, not Moscow's frozen assets, Reuters writes.
The advantage of this deal is its simplicity: the EU will borrow funds on financial markets backed by the EU budget, and the money should reach Kyiv quickly.
As the Gaze reported earlier EU Approves €90 Billion for Ukraine.