Financing Ukraine: Merz urges all EU states to commit to aid for Ukraine

45 additional EU billion are to flow into Ukraine next year. Not all member states want to take part. The Chancellor is increasing the pressure before an informal EU summit.

A few days ago, Merz Selenskyj assured further help at a meeting in Berlin. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Berlin. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is calling on all EU states, without exception, to make a “fair contribution” to closing the billion-dollar gap in Ukraine financing. In a letter to EU Council President Antonio Costa, he indirectly threatened a blockade on other financial issues if there was no common commitment to aid to Ukraine.

Such a commitment is “an essential prerequisite for solving this problem and for discussing further questions, especially those with financial implications,” says the Chancellor’s letter, which is available to the German Press Agency. It's about 45 billion euros that will be missing for Ukraine next year.

In the letter, Merz also calls for a solution supported by all member states to be found for solid financing of Ukraine, which is attacked by Russia, over several years as part of the negotiations on the EU budget for the years 2028 to 3034. The EU wants to reach an agreement on the entire financial framework by the end of the year.

“Question of our indivisible European security”

“Supporting Ukraine is a question of our indivisible European security, and this must also apply to the burden-sharing of support,” the Chancellor wrote in his letter to Costa. He is calling on the EU Council President to put the issue “as a priority” on the agenda of the informal EU summit in Dublin on Friday.

The EU Commission had previously estimated the financial gap next year at 70 billion euros, of which the European Union should cover 45 billion euros. The EU had already approved 90 billion euros for Ukraine last year for the years 2026 and 2027.

But this sum is no longer enough. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj had already demanded an additional 70 billion euros from his allies in October in order to be able to defend themselves against the Russian attackers. The heads of state and government then called on the EU Commission to make a proposal to cover the additional financing needs.

Bulgaria and Slovakia don't want to take part

But there is resistance from several member states. The Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev and the Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico have already announced that they no longer want to participate in any new EU financial aid for Ukraine. Hungary and the Czech Republic are also considered shaky candidates.

The Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar will be received by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Chancellery today. Aid to Ukraine is likely to play an important role in this. Germany is by far Ukraine's most important donor in the EU. This is also where the Chancellor's urging to spread the burden more broadly comes from.

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