Belgium prioritizes supporting Ukraine in EU presidency
Photo: Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Yesterday, on January 5, Belgium officially commenced its presidency of the European Union. The country emphasizes support for Ukraine as a priority, states the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, during a joint press conference with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
As De Croo highlighted, Belgium's priorities during its presidency will include:
- Support for Ukraine.
- Strengthening democracy and economic development.
He also identified the immediate task of coordinating, at the EU summit on February 1, a financial assistance plan for Kyiv from 2024 to 2027, amounting to 50 billion euros.
"The European population looks to the European Union. People gaze at the EU with clear expectations, hoping to protect it, strengthen our prosperity, and build a shared future. A shared future here in Europe, of course, means having Ukraine at the heart of Europe," noted the Prime Minister.
EU assistance to Ukraine
Last year, the EU proposed allocating 50 billion euros to Ukraine by 2027. Unanimous consent from all countries is required to approve such a decision, but Hungary vetoed it during the last meeting. As earlier reported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, the EU will approve funding with or without Budapest's agreement.
According to von der Leyen, the bloc is preparing an alternative plan for financial support to Ukraine in case of a lack of consensus among countries.
