EU seeks to set Ukraine up for successful peace talks - EC Vice President
Vice President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič (Getty Images)
During the European Council meeting on October 17-18, recent developments in relations with Ukraine will be discussed. The EU intends to stand by Kyiv for as long as necessary, according to European Commission (EC) Vice President Maroš Šefčovič during the EU Council meeting.
Šefčovič emphasized the importance of reaching an agreement on the proposal to allocate macro-financial assistance to Ukraine amounting to up to 35 billion euros as soon as possible.
"The funds must be allocated by the end of this year to provide Ukraine with the necessary fiscal space," he said, recalling the promise made by the G7 in June.
The Vice President of the European Commission also noted the efforts being made to prepare Ukraine for the upcoming winter.
"Together with our partners, we are repairing, reconnecting, and stabilizing Ukraine's energy supply," Šefčovič said.
As part of the winter plan for Ukraine, 160 million euros have already been allocated, supplementing the previously provided 2 billion euros for the country's energy security.
He added that the EU's goal remains unchanged: "to put Ukraine in a position to negotiate peace on favorable terms and to help it on its path to full membership in the European Union."
Assistance to Ukraine bypassing Hungary
Hungary has been blocking the financing of military assistance to Ukraine amounting to 6.5 billion euros from the European Peace Facility for several months. This is related to Budapest's concerns that the funds contributed to the facility would be directed to support Ukraine.
Recently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Budapest will continue to block the decision to allocate 6.5 billion euros until Ukraine restores the transit of Russian oil from Lukoil.
