On Thursday 5 October, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, explained that the EU would not make up for US funding for Ukraine, even though the US Congress did not include the $24 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine requested by the White House in its emergency measure to fund the US administration for 45 days (see EUROPE 13262/3).
“Europe cannot replace the United States”, he warned on his arrival at the European Political Community in Granada, expressing his hope that this was not the United States’ final position. “Ukraine needs the support of the EU, it can be sure that it has it and that it will increase, but it also needs the support of the United States”, he added.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel confirmed that the EU “cannot compensate”, but that it would continue to support Ukraine “as much as it can”.
His Dutch counterpart said that the EU would do “what is necessary”. “We are doing a lot in the European Union countries, as well as in non-European countries, while being absolutely convinced that the United States will stay on board”, he said.
While he explained that he had received the support of US President Joe Biden and the Democrats and Republicans in Congress during his visit to Washington at the end of September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that there was a “difficult election period for the United States” with “different voices”, some of which were “very strange”.
While the EU will not make up for the American shortfall, at the inaugural session of the European Political Community, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, recalled that the Union had already mobilised €82 billion for Ukraine and was preparing “substantial” additional support.
The Commission has proposed a €50 billion ‘facility’ for 2024-2027 and the High Representative a €20 billion ‘Ukraine’ component of the European Peace Facility for the same period (see EUROPE 13205/1). The Europeans are working on the reform of the Multiannual Financial Framework to “help and support Ukraine over the coming years”, said the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Pauline Denys)