Merz calls on Europeans to jointly close Ukraine’s financing gap

Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on European partners to close Ukraine’s financing gap for the year 2027. At the start of the European Political Community (EPC) meeting in Dublin, the German head of government stated that, in his view, it is "self-evident that this is a joint European task." In this context, Merz urged:

"It is essential that we Europeans stand together."

There have been "some positive signals" from the peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi, the CDU politician stated. He expects Russian President Vladimir Putin to finally agree to joint talks with the Europeans. Future developments will depend significantly on the discussions taking place over the coming days.

Regarding further talks on Ukraine, Merz suggested that the so-called E3 group, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, could play a key role in the negotiations, noting that the E3 is a well-established format.

The EU estimates Ukraine’s additional financial requirements for 2027 at approximately 70 billion euros. More than half of this amount is intended to be covered by another EU loan.

ℹ️ Content Notice: This text is an English translation and factual adaptation of news events, edited for clarity, neutrality and objective reporting.
Source of information: Global News Agencies including REUTERS / TASS / AFP / AP / ANADOLU / INT.RU / Al Jazeera / CNN