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(Bloomberg) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will deliver on its €90 billion ($106 billion) loan package to Ukraine “one way or another” as the war-battered nation is set to run out of funds in a matter of weeks.
Speaking during a trip to Kyiv to mark four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, the demonstration of European Union solidarity was undermined as Hungary this month moved to block the financial lifeline over an energy dispute with Kyiv. The EU’s latest round of sanctions was also halted amid resistance from Budapest.
“We have different options and we will use them,” von der Leyen said alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Council President Antonio Costa in the capital on Tuesday, without elaborating on the bloc’s options.
The standoff left the EU delegation without its flagship offer as the war entered its fifth year, with allies seeking to buoy Ukraine’s military effort and US-led peace efforts having stalled. The bloc will provide €920 million this year and next to rebuild energy infrastructure, the commission chief said.
Arriving with a group of EU leaders, von der Leyen also tempered Ukraine’s ambition to join the bloc by 2027.
“From our side, dates are impossible,” von der Leyen said, reiterating that the accession process is merit-based. Zelenskiy addressed the European Parliament on Tuesday to explain why having a clear date was crucial.
“The date you mentioned is more your benchmark,” von der Leyen told Zelenskiy.
Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure last month hit the Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, which have maintained ties with the Kremlin throughout the war. The two member states accused Ukraine of dragging its feet with repairs. Zelenskiy reiterated that the work was underway.
“Russia destroyed it several times,” Zelenskiy said. “And this strike may not be the last. Russia destroys; Ukraine rebuilds.” He suggested that Orban address the attacks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
–With assistance from Max Ramsay.
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