Kyiv (dpa-AFX) – Ukraine, which is on the verge of bankruptcy because of the war, has accused Germany of blocking the payment of financial aid from the EU. “We expect eight billion euros. Unfortunately, some EU countries, including Germany, are blocking the examination of this question,” said the deputy head of the presidential office, Ihor Zhovka, according to local media on Tuesday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is therefore conducting “active talks”.
Zhovka explained that Kyiv has already received one billion euros of the nine billion euros in macro financial aid promised in May. According to information from the EU Commission, guarantees from member states may be necessary for the outstanding sum because a guarantee via the EU budget is not possible due to a lack of funds.
In July, several rating agencies downgraded Ukraine’s credit rating. The largest state-owned company, Naftogaz, also failed to service foreign debt due on Tuesday last week due to a government order. Ukraine’s additional financial requirements for 2023 were estimated at almost 50 billion euros. At the end of February, Russia invaded the neighboring country and occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine./ast/DP/ngu