EU imports from Russia exceed support for Ukraine by €124 billion
Photo: Since 2022, the EU has imported €311 billion worth of goods and energy resources from Russia (Getty Images)
Over the entire period of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the European Union imported energy and goods from Russia worth €124 billion more than it provided in support to Kyiv, stated Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, according to European Pravda.
"The truth is that the support for Ukraine (from the EU – ed.) is not big enough, and the support for Russia is far too large," she stressed.
The Swedish minister said that since February 2022, the EU has provided €187 billion in support to Ukraine.
"During the same period, we imported Russian oil and gas worth €201 billion. And if you add other imported goods, the total reaches €311 billion. This means we get negative support for Ukraine of €124 billion," Stenergard said.
She emphasized that this can only be described as a disgrace. The Swedish minister believes that until aid to Ukraine and pressure on Russia increase, there will be no reasonable peace negotiations.
"A very good starting point would be to use frozen assets for Ukraine’s benefit," Stenergard added.
Reparations loans for Ukraine
International partners are currently actively discussing the creation of a so-called reparations loan. It would allow frozen Russian assets to be directed toward supporting Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Europe to use Russia’s assets and overcome existing disagreements.
It is noted that despite delays in adopting the relevant decisions, there are currently no critical risks to public finances, as Ukraine’s budget needs for this year have already been secured.
