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Ukraine may fail to fully prepare for winter, as European Union countries have not yet finalized approval of a €90 billion loan.
This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference with acting Bulgarian Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov.
Salaries and pensions
The Ukrainian president assured that funding for salaries, pensions, and the military is secured, even though Ukraine has not yet begun receiving the promised €90 billion from the European Union.
Risks to winter preparations
According to Zelenskyy, the main risks concern preparations for winter. A comprehensive plan has already been developed, covering both physical protection of critical infrastructure and air defense systems.
The total cost of the plan is estimated at $5.1 billion.
“We expected that this amount would be fully or partially covered by these funds,” he noted.
He emphasized that winter preparation is a long-term process that must begin as early as possible.
“I expected that in March we would approve all plans… and that happened… We must start construction from April 1, we must begin work, but it’s not happening on a large scale because these funds are not available. This delay is a threat to winter preparations. We are now setting maximum efforts to find financing,” Zelenskyy said.
First tranche
He added that European leaders are expected to resolve the issue of the first tranche for Ukraine, amounting to €45 billion.
“We can talk a lot about supporting Ukraine and protection, while the funds for this support and protection remain blocked. We strongly believe that European leaders are much stronger together than any single individual,” Zelenskyy said.
Hungary’s veto
Ukraine has not been able to receive the €90 billion loan due to a procedural blockage by Hungary.
Hungarian authorities have reportedly issued an ultimatum: the funds will be approved only after the resumption of Russian oil supplies to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline.
The pipeline was damaged in a Russian attack in late January, after which oil supplies from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia were halted.
