The EU on Thursday gave its final approval to a 90-billion-euro ($105 billion) loan for Ukraine and a new round of sanctions on Russia, in a boost for Kyiv after a prolonged row, Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, said.
“Deadlock over,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas posted online. “Russia’s war economy is under growing strain, while Ukraine is getting a major boost.”
The measures were approved when Hungary and Slovakia dropped objections after Ukraine restarted oil flows after repairing a damaged pipeline.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the European Union’s approval of a 90-billion-euro ($105 billion) loan for Ukraine that had been stalled by Hungary’s outgoing prime minister Viktor Orban.
“Today is an important day for our defense and for our relations with the European Union. The European support loan for Ukraine has been unblocked –- €90 billion over two years,” Zelensky said on X.
“It matters that Ukraine is securing this level of financial certainty –- after more than four years of full-scale war,” he added, urging for the first tranche to be disbursed by May or June.
Zelensky told journalists, “Ukraine does not need symbolic EU membership,” adding, “We are defending common European values. I believe that we deserve full-fledged EU membership.”(AFP)
