The President of the European Council, Charles Michelsaid that a new summit will be held early next year on Ukraine’s economic support package of 50 billion euros for the next four years, to which all but one of the 26 member states have so far agreed.

Charles Michel clarified that the European Council will take place around the end of January to the beginning of February and that the decision should be taken unanimously. He also explained that the aid package for Ukraine is included in the overall review of the multi-year European budget (2021-2027) agreed by the 26 member states. This means that the starting point at the next European Council will be less complex, said Charles Michel.

For her part, the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed that until the next meeting of the European Council there will be a “functional solution” for the financing of Ukraine. He also added that until then, preparations will be made for alternative solutions, in case a decision is not possible at the level of “27” in the EU. He also emphasized that what is important is to provide a coherent and reliable funding for Ukraine . He also announced that in the coming days, the last tranche for this year, amounting to 1.5 billion euros, will be disbursed to Kiev, which will create a bridge to cover the gap until the decision on the 50 billion is made.