Following the end of the Hungarian blockade, the EU approves a package of support and lending for defence and budget, with disbursements from June.

After prolonged negotiations and intense political controversy in Brussels, the European Union moved to approve an unprecedented financial package to Ukraine, totalling €90 billion, marking one of the most crucial support decisions since the start of the war. The deal, unblocked after months of delays due to state objections, opens the way for immediate support for both Ukraine’s defence apparatus and the country’s fiscal stability, with the first disbursements timed as early as June.

After months of delays and political blockages, the European Union has given the final green light for the €90 billion lending package to Ukraine, according to ERTnews.gr, paving the way for the first disbursements as early as June.

The package

The approval was given on 23 April through a written procedure by member states, closing a difficult chapter that had been “frozen” due to the Hungarian veto. The amendment of the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework required unanimity, which Budapest delayed for months despite its initial consensus in December.

The package, from the EU side to Kiev, covers two years, with €45 billion to be disbursed in 2026. Of this, it is projected that €28.3 billion will be directed to defence, and €16.7 billion will support the Ukrainian budget.

Technical negotiations between the Commission and Kiev are in the final stretch, with an EU official estimating that the first payments could start as early as June, provided the final procedures are completed.

At the same time, the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, which had also been “stuck” because of the Hungarian stance, was also approved.

Pressure to speed up accession

The financial support is accompanied by renewed political pressure for progress on Ukraine’s accession path. French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the European Commission to present “within weeks” a concrete timetable for opening negotiating chapters with Ukraine and Moldova.

In the same vein, European Council President Antonio Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have called for the opening of the relevant procedures “without delay”.

“Creative” solutions instead of fast-track

However, despite the rhetoric of support, European capitals remain wary of a fast-track accession of Ukraine or Ukraine and Moldova together. The debate is now turning to more “flexible” models of integration.

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jeten and his Belgian counterpart Bart de Vever have left open the possibility of “alternative routes”, with Ukraine’s multi-tiered EU membership before full accession.

The Commission has already started technical negotiations on the six key ‘clusters’ of reforms, but the political question is how quickly – and in what form – Kiev can be fully integrated into the European family.