BRUSSELS — European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen desires to get to a deal on new Ukraine help “as shortly as potential,” she mentioned on Friday.
The difficulty of the €50 billion help bundle for Ukraine landed again on her plate on the event of the beginning of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU — which positioned her once more in entrance of the Brussels press corps after the December summit the place Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blocked approving new EU funds for Ukraine.
“After the historic choice to launch accession negotiations with Ukraine, we should urgently transfer ahead on stabilizing our monetary help to the nation,” von der Leyen mentioned. She additionally criticized the “brutal” air strikes by Russia on civilian targets in Ukraine.
The Fee president acknowledged what EU leaders have been already floating proper after the European Council in December — that it may be essential to work round Orbán to get recent help to Kyiv.
An settlement by the 27 EU member states is “the primary precedence,” she mentioned. “However after all, we’ve got to organize for different choices. There are the operational options that we’re making ready proper now.”
The Fee will current these options to the European Council. If EU leaders come to a price range compromise on February 1, the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU will iron out the technical particulars with EU international locations and EU lawmakers.
Barbara Moens contributed reporting.
