France: G7 must help guarantee Ukraine’s reparations loan, not just Europe

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19.11.2025 18:55

Ukrinform

The burden of guaranteeing the future reparations loan for Ukraine should be shared not only by European countries but also by G7 partners, while the funds raised should be directed first and foremost toward strengthening Europe’s defense industry in cooperation with Ukraine.

Pierre Heilbronn, the French President’s Special Envoy for Ukraine’s Relief and Reconstruction, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

“Europe must not be left alone. I have spent a lot of time in Tokyo, Ottawa, and recently in London to ensure that our other G7 partners also stay alongside us in what some call ‘burden-sharing.’ Essentially, this is about providing a guarantee that carries both political weight with regard to Moscow and, of course, financial implications,” he noted.

According to Heilbronn, Brussels and other European capitals must now engage in “creative” work to find a solution regarding the reparations loan, similar to the mechanism developed for using the interest generated by frozen Russian assets.

“As you know, the European Commission has put three options on the table. France has always said they should be examined with an open and constructive approach that should lead to quick results. We are essentially talking about the European Council summit next month — that is the timeline we are referring to,” he added.

The special envoy also stressed the importance of ensuring that the €130–140 billion being referred to as a “reparations loan” for Ukraine is spent specifically through European manufacturers to develop Europe’s defense industry in partnership with Ukraine.

“Regarding European preference in joint production with Ukrainians — this is an area where there is still a lot to be done. One of the issues is ensuring that the new instruments we introduce are not used by American or other non-European industrial players at a time when we ourselves are striving to build a strong European defense,” he explained, adding that “the time to address these challenges will come in the coming weeks.”

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on November 17 the Presidents of Ukraine and France, Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron, discussed the reparations loan and the use of Russian assets to finance the EU defense assistance package for Ukraine.