The European Union will revisit the issue of financing Ukraine if a newly agreed 90-billion-euro loan proves insufficient, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Friday.
“The financing issue has been resolved. The European Union has found a way to finance Ukraine with 90 billion euros in 2026–27,” Nausėda told LRT in Brussels.
“We will return to the financing issue at the next regular European Council, and this decision taken today resolves all issues related to Ukraine’s needs at this time,” he said. “If additional funding is needed, the European Union is ready to look for solutions, and those solutions will be found.”
The EU estimates Ukraine will need an additional 135 billion euros to cover its needs over the next two years, with funding pressures expected to emerge as early as April.
After months of difficulty finding a consensus, EU leaders agreed during overnight summit talks in Brussels to arrange a two-year loan backed by the bloc’s common budget.
An initial proposal to tap about 200 billion euros in Russian central bank assets frozen in the EU was ultimately dropped. Belgium, where most of the assets are held, demanded guarantees on sharing liability, a condition other member states were unwilling to accept.
Issuing common EU debt requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic were granted exemptions from the commitment in order to avoid a veto.
“Several countries take a different view on supporting Ukraine and on borrowing to buy weapons, arguing for unconditional peace under any circumstances. That is their position,” Nausėda said. “We do not agree with it, but it is reflected in European Union documents.”
Under the arrangement, Ukraine would begin repaying the loan only after Russia compensates it for the destruction caused by the war.
The agreement gives Kyiv a critical financial lifeline as US President Donald Trump presses for a swift deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year war against Ukraine.
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