EU stalled over budget as Zelenskyy asks for €70 billion
Zelenskyy requested €70 billion for 2027 as EU talks on a near-€2 trillion budget falter amid political uncertainty and disputes over frozen Russian assets.
The European Union is struggling to close a new long-term budget while also weighing fresh funding for Ukraine after Kyiv's appeal for more aid for 2027. At the same time, attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and growing political uncertainty in several member states are complicating decisions in Brussels.
Brussels talks stall as leaders weigh Ukraine request
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week asked EU leaders for an additional €70 billion in financial and military support earmarked for 2027. He warned at the summit in Brussels that the campaign against Ukraine carries severe human costs: "Russia is killing us. It does not want to stop," he said, adding that a Ukrainian defeat could trigger a new refugee wave toward the EU.
One proposal under consideration is tapping nearly €200 billion of frozen Russian state assets held at the Euroclear depositary in Belgium. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has repeatedly rejected using those frozen assets before the war is over, citing legal and financial risks, leaving leaders to explore alternatives such as joint borrowing or extra national contributions.
The budget sought by the EU amounts to almost €2 trillion and negotiators failed to reach agreement after two days of talks at last week’s summit in Brussels. Disagreements also surfaced over energy policy, further highlighting divisions between capitals.
Decision-making is being pressured by political cycles in some of the Union's largest economies. Spain faces parliamentary elections next month, France is due to hold a presidential vote in the spring, Italy's parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2027, and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz is confronting falling popularity while support for the far-right Alternative for Germany is rising. Those four countries together account for about 60% of the EU's economy and population, a dynamic that can make reaching consensus harder.
EU leaders must now balance a stalled budget process, the urgent needs voiced by Kyiv, and domestic political turbulence — all ahead of a winter that Ukrainian officials fear will be worsened by continued attacks on energy infrastructure.
Photo: press material from the event
