Brussels defends that it will have disbursed Ukraine 7,200 million in 2022 in the face of criticism for slow payments

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BRUSSELS, Nov. 7 () –

The European Commission has defended this Monday the macro-financial aid sent to Ukraine so far, after noting that by the end of the year it will have disbursed 7,200 million, with another 3,000 million pending processing, which has generated criticism from kyiv that demands more agility to provide financial support.

At a press conference from the European capital, the community spokesperson for the Economy, Veerle Nuyts, detailed that Brussels has disbursed 3,000 million to date, in two tranches, to help Ukraine’s financial needs, while it made available to kyiv 1.2 billion in emergency loans as soon as the war broke out.

Specifically, the first aid to the country arrived last August when the shipment of 1,000 million in two tranches was completed, while the second payment occurred in October, then the European Commission confirmed 2,000 million more than the initial financial package announced in May 9 billion.

“By the end of the year another additional 3,000 million will be disbursed. Therefore, 6,000 of the 9,000 million of the exceptional macro-financial aid package will have been paid,” argued the spokeswoman, who, after noting the emergency financial aid, concluded that Brussels it will have released 7.2 billion by 2023.

Nuyts has stressed that the European Commission is continuing the work to define the disbursement of the remaining 3,000 million of the initial support package, while in parallel seeking a “more strategic and predictive approach” to guarantee the funds to Ukraine next year before the continuation of Russian aggression.

PACKAGE OF 18,000 MILLION FOR 2023

These statements come after the President of the European Executive, Ursula von der Leyen, advanced this Sunday in a telephone call with the Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelenski, who will propose this week a support package estimated at 18,000 million for 2023, which represents 1.5 billion a month, and about a third of Ukraine’s financial needs in the context of the war.

The program is intended to cover part of Ukraine’s needs next year and consists of a series of “long-term loans on highly concessional terms, with interest costs covered, which will also contribute to Ukraine’s reform program on its way to the incorporation of the country into the European Union”.

Brussels has faced criticism for the lack of agility in processing the aid, which always arrives several months after community leaders announce it. kyiv has lamented the slow time to release funds, after the first aid of 1,000 million arrived only in August,

Nor does it help that Von der Leyen and several members of the Community Executive have made reference on several occasions to the fact that the EU has supported Ukraine with 19,000 million euros since the beginning of the war, a figure that, according to Brussels, accounts for the support and budgetary contributions from the European Commission, its financial institutions of the European Union and contributions from the Member States.