"The European Union will be on Ukraine's side for as long as it takes," the President of the Community Executive, Ursula von der Leyen, assured President Volodímir Zelenski yesterday in a telephone conversation that essentially revolved around the country's financing needs. in 2023.
Von der Leyen explained to the Ukrainian leader that this week he will present a proposal to transfer 1,500 million euros per month to the country in 2023, 18,000 million in total, a regular payment model that will replace the system followed this year, which has been marked by delays and blockages in the disbursement of aid. The initiative, which was endorsed by European leaders at the October summit, will be discussed this week by the EU economy ministers and would materialize in the form of very long-term, interest-free loans.
At the gates of the mid-term elections in the United States, the president of the European Commission is thus trying to calm the Zelensky government's anxiety about Western aid in 2023. If the Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives of the Congress, have already announced that they will reduce the level of financial support to Kyiv, and public opinion is increasingly critical of this support. It is estimated that the Ukrainian state will need between 3,000 and 4,000 million euros per month in 2023 to cover its essential functions. It is somewhat less than during the current year thanks to the recovery of certain economic activity. Even so, European aid will not be enough and "should be matched with a similar amount by other large donors," recalls the European Commission.
