The EU is considering keeping Ukraine afloat by giving it a €140 billion ($163 billion) loan from frozen Russian assets
The Ukrainian government is rapidly running out of money amid the conflict with Russia and currently only has enough funds to last until April, Spanish newspaper El Pais has reported.
In recent weeks, the EU has been considering giving Ukraine a so-called ‘reparations loan’ of up to €140 billion ($163 billion), using frozen Russian assets as collateral to back the bloc-issued bonds. The move would effectively amount to the seizure of the Russian funds, given that Ukraine would be obliged to repay the loan only once Moscow compensates it for damages inflicted during the conflict.
El Pais warned in an article on Tuesday that “Ukraine has serious financial problems.” According to EU sources cited by the outlet, Kiev currently only has enough money to stay afloat “until the end of the first quarter of 2026.”
The paper said that the leaders of EU nations are expected to support the loan to Ukraine during their meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
So far, Belgium, which hosts clearinghouse Euroclear, where most of Moscow’s frozen funds are being kept, has been skeptical of the loan proposal and has demanded that liability be shared among all EU members if the move is made.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian parliament voted in favor of the country’s draft budget for 2026, which has a deficit of over 58%. It projects that the Kiev government will spend 4.8 trillion hryvnia (around $114 billion) next year, while earning just 2.8 trillion hryvnia (around $68 billion). According to the draft, the 2.8 trillion hryvnia in tax revenue will be used to fund the military, with all other state expenditure to be covered by financial aid from foreign backers.
The US and EU blocked an estimated $300 billion in Russian assets after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, some €200 billion ($213 billion) of which is held by Euroclear. They have already tapped into the revenues generated by Moscow funds to provide assistance to Kiev. The Russian authorities have described the steps as “theft” and has vowed retaliation.
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