The Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna, stated this Tuesday that the “survival” of her country depends on the European Union (EU) being able to give the green light to support of 50 billion euros for the coming years from the review of the community budget until 2027.
“The completion of this financial support for the next four years is vital for us, and we basically cannot imagine the situation if the decision is not made on February 1,” Stefanishyna said.
The Ukrainian deputy prime minister made this statement in a videoconference speech at the Global Europe forum organized in the European Parliament by the liberal group in that chamber, Renew Europe.
He referred to the extraordinary EU summit convened in Brussels on February 1 to reach an agreement on the review of the community’s multiannual budget until 2027, after the leaders of the Union failed in December to unblock Hungary’s veto to dedicate 50 billion euros for Ukraine. “It’s literally a matter of survival,” she emphasized.
Stefanishyna assured that the Ukrainian head of Social Policy is currently in Brussels working on a “possible scenario” in the event that this decision cannot be adopted.
He made it clear that “Ukraine’s resilience cannot be taken for granted,” but rather “it comes at a price.” “This decision is one on which we really need to build all the political will to compromise, and not look for any other scenario,” she said.
The EU disbursed 18 billion euros to Ukraine in 2023 so that the country can guarantee the payment of basic services while the invasion war launched by Russia continues.
The EU has provided a total of €85 billion in aid to kyiv since the start of the Russian aggression in February 2022, including financial, emergency, humanitarian and military assistance.
The objective of the Commission and the vast majority of Member States is that financial aid can continue from 2024 within the framework of the community budget, to make it more predictable, which is why the leaders of the Twenty-seven will hold a meeting on February 1 new summit to try to approve the package with unanimous support.
The Community Executive has already warned that it will work so that, with or without Hungary’s support, there is a solution in place to provide aid to Ukraine.
This could involve prolonging the system used until now in which financing is raised in the markets with the support of national guarantees, which would allow Budapest to be excluded from it.
