The EU has transferred €3.2 billion in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine under a new Ukraine Support Loan and said it would start paying out a further €6 billion for drone production in the coming days.
The European Union and its member states have provided more than €200 billion in economic, financial and military support since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with a further €90 billion planned over the next two years through the Ukraine Support Loan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk on Thursday.
She also said the EU had opened the first “cluster” of accession negotiations with Ukraine earlier this month, describing it as the first stage in talks covering areas such as the rule of law, democratic institutions and public administration.
Ukraine has already joined the EU’s “Roam Like at Home” mobile phone roaming area, von der Leyen pointed out, and is moving forward on joining SEPA — the Single Euro Payments Area, which allows simpler cross-border bank transfers in euros — and taking steps towards integration in the EU Single Market.
Investment fund announced for Ukraine reconstruction
A European Flagship Fund for Ukraine reconstruction is now “ready to go” and can mobilise up to €500 million this year, with the aim of reaching €1 billion over time, von der Leyen stated.
The fund is backed by the EU, Poland, France, Germany and Italy, and will invest in sectors including clean energy, infrastructure and “high-growth companies.”
European Council President António Costa said the EU had adopted 20 sanctions packages against Russia and was preparing another, adding that member states had decided to roll over sanctions for a year rather than six months.
Ukraine has shown readiness for an immediate ceasefire and sustained diplomatic efforts towards peace, while only Ukraine can define the terms of a comprehensive settlement, Costa declared.
