Ukraine needs more funds than EU has allocated – Lithuanian president

According to Ukrinform, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said this in an interview with LRT.

"The financing issue has been resolved. The European Union has found a way to finance Ukraine with 90 billion euros in 2026-27," Nauseda said.

He noted that the EU would return to the financing issue at the next regular European Council and that "this decision taken today resolves all issues related to Ukraine's needs at this time."

"If additional funding is needed, the European Union is ready to look for solutions, and those solutions will be found," he added.

The EU estimates Ukraine will need an additional EUR 135 billion to cover its needs over the next two years, with funding pressures expected to emerge as early as April.

After months of difficulty finding a consensus, EU leaders agreed during overnight summit talks in Brussels to arrange a two-year loan backed by the bloc's common budget.

An initial proposal to tap about EUR 200 billion in Russian central bank assets frozen in the EU was ultimately dropped.

As Ukrinform previously reported, European Council President Antonio Costa announced that EU leaders had agreed to support Ukraine with EUR 90 billion for 2026-2027.

Three EU member states – the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia – will not take part in implementing the decision to provide Ukraine with a EUR 90 billion loan financed from the EU budget.

Commenting on the EU decision, President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the importance of the fact that Russian assets remain frozen and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years.

Photo: Elta