The EU may have to revisit the issue of financing Ukraine as early as next year, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to diplomats, Kyiv will need an additional €19 billion to cover budgetary needs.
The EU may have to revisit the issue of financing Ukraine as early as next year - despite the fact that this week the Council of the European Union approved a loan of €90 billion to Ukraine. This was reported on Friday, April 24, by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), as noted by DW.
It was previously expected that after the allocation of this amount, the financing issue would not arise again until at least 2028.
The EU loan was supposed to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's budgetary and defense spending needs for this year and the next. Japan and several Western countries, including the UK, are negotiating to provide Kyiv with approximately €45 billion needed by the end of 2027, but no agreements have been finalized, WSJ clarifies.
WSJ: Kyiv Will Need an Additional €19 Billion
According to diplomatic sources, Ukraine's funding deficit for next year has increased since the beginning of the loan planning - Kyiv will need an additional €19 billion to cover budgetary needs in 2027.
The situation is complicated by a number of factors, including the crisis in relations with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and rising energy prices amid the war in Iran, the publication notes.
EU Council Approved Loan to Kyiv
The EU Council approved the loan to Ukraine, as well as the 20th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation on April 23. Both documents were adopted unanimously during a written procedure, the permanent representation of Cyprus - the country currently holding the EU presidency by rotation - reported.
"Today, the Council approved the final element necessary for the allocation of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine. The Cypriot presidency has tirelessly worked to ensure that all necessary elements for providing the loan were in place," said the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Cyprus, Makis Keravnos.
According to him, the loan disbursement will begin "as soon as possible to provide vital support for Ukraine's most pressing budgetary needs." "The EU remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added.
Hungary Lifted Veto After Opposition Victory in Elections
The €90 billion loan for Ukraine, which has been facing full-scale military aggression from the Russian Federation for five years, was agreed upon back in December 2025 but had long been blocked by the outgoing government of Hungary.
After parliamentary elections in that country, the leader of the victorious opposition party "Tisa," Peter Madjar, promised not to block the loan to Ukraine, adding that Budapest itself does not plan to participate in the allocation of funds. European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis stated on April 21 that Brussels expects to disburse the first tranche by the end of May - early June.
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