European Commissioner for the Economy Valdis Dombrovskis stated at a press conference following an informal meeting of EU finance and economy ministers in Dublin (Ireland) that Kyiv has appealed to the European Union for an additional 32.6 billion in funding.
Dombrovskis noted that both sides are working to determine Kyiv's financing needs, but they cannot yet 'quantify the deficit' compared to next year's forecasts. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the 'situation is becoming clearer' and that certain contributions from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are still necessary, while teams from both sides are closely cooperating.
According to Dombrovskis, they will be able to determine the deficit and develop a management plan until 2027 in a relatively short time. He recalled that Ukraine faces growing financing needs due to the escalation of the 'Russian invasion and aggression.'
Furthermore, Dombrovskis stated that risks to the Ukrainian economy have increased, and the financing deficit that the IMF initially planned to cover in 2027 now seems 'unfortunately unlikely.' Despite this, the European Union has already provided a loan of 90 billion euros in the form of military and budgetary aid approved for Ukraine for the current and next year, and the first payments have already been made.
Regarding possible additional funding options for Kyiv, the EU Commission does not rule out reconsidering the proposal to use frozen Russian assets in the EU. This demand was put forward by Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, and Sweden in a letter at the end of August, where they indicated that the current loan would be insufficient. Dombrovskis said that the Commission was clear last year when presenting this proposal and is ready to support discussions now by examining various options. He considers it 'very likely' that this dispute will have to be resumed if Russia does not pay war reparations.
In December 2025, the EU was unable to finance the 90 billion euro loan using revenues from frozen Russian assets, mainly due to opposition from Belgium, where most of these assets are held, and its government's concerns about reprisals from Moscow.
Upon his arrival at this informal meeting, Marchenko reiterated that Kyiv currently has 'uncovered financing needs' amounting to approximately 32.6 billion euros. He also called on European countries to strengthen defense against new threats from Russia, including hybrid warfare, and advocated for closer cooperation between European defense ministries. The minister added that Ukraine can contribute to such preparedness by sharing experience from modern warfare, as well as knowledge and technologies gained during the conflict.