EU leaders set to agree on Ukraine funding on December 19 — Reuters
Photo: EU leaders will decide on Friday on financing for Ukraine (Getty Images)
EU leaders plan to decide in the coming days how to finance Ukraine in 2026 and 2027 to continue fighting Russian aggression. The financing program is expected to be agreed upon and disclosed on Friday, according to Reuters.
According to the agency's sources, the main option is to use Russian assets frozen in the EU, but its implementation depends on Belgium's uncertain approval.
Therefore, negotiations between leaders on Thursday will focus on narrowing the scope of guarantees to a form that is acceptable to all EU countries, diplomats say, stressing that a solution will be found for financing Ukraine.
"This is not a European Council where we can part ways on Friday and not have anything. So a solution will be available on Friday morning," says a senior EU diplomat.
According to him, if EU countries fail to find answers to the question of how to finance Ukraine in 2026 and 2027, Europe will not allow Ukraine to defend itself, and this will have serious consequences for the security of the whole of Europe.
Background
The EU still does not have a unified position on the reparations loan for Ukraine. Some leaders support financing from Russian assets, while others advocate a joint debt mechanism.
On December 18-19, an EU leaders' summit will be held in Brussels, where a decision on financial support for Ukraine for 2026-2027 is to be made.
If no agreement is reached, the EU will consider plan B — a temporary loan from the bloc's borrowing to provide support to Ukraine in early 2026.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also attend the summit, where the issue of reparations loans will be discussed.
