By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - The European Union expects to disburse 2.5 billion euros to 2.7 billion euros to Ukraine after its parliament completed necessary reforms last week,
EU to disburse up to 2.7 billion euros to Ukraine after parliamentary action, Kos says
EU Financial Support for Ukraine: Details and Implications
By Andrea Shalal
EU Disbursement Plans and Parliamentary Reforms
WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - The European Union expects to disburse 2.5 billion to 2.7 billion euros to Ukraine after its parliament completed necessary reforms last week, Marta Kos, the EU's enlargement commissioner, said on Thursday.
Kos, speaking at an event in Washington together with Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, said the EU would definitely deliver a loan of 90 billion euros to Ukraine following the Hungarian election that swept Prime Minister Viktor Orban from power.
Ukraine’s Financing Gap and EU Loan Impact
Marchenko said Ukraine's financing gap of $52 billion in 2026 will be covered once the EU loan becomes available, but added that his government was still in discussions about closing the expected gap in 2027.
Part of a high-level Ukrainian delegation in Washington for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, Marchenko said the EU had helped Ukraine cover nearly two-thirds of the country's financing needs, but it was unclear whether other big governments were willing to pitch in.
Marchenko did not comment specifically on his meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday evening.
Commitment to Reforms and International Support
But he said he reassured Ukraine's partners that Kyiv remained committed to carrying out reforms, not just to satisfy its partners, but also to move forward as a country.
"If Ukraine fails, it means that all of our partners will feel this," he said. "That's why we shouldn't give any chance, even a slight chance, that we can fail."
IMF Perspective on Ukraine’s Economic Stability
Speaking on the same panel, Gavin Gray, the IMF's mission chief for Ukraine, lauded the Ukrainian government for emphasizing that macro-financial stability was essential, and avoiding the perils of wartime economies, including the printing of money and runaway inflation.
In general, Gray said, price stability had been contained, and the banking sector was well-capitalized and supporting the financing of the government on market terms.
Ukraine's economy also has grown since late 2022 and early 2023, which the IMF had not expected.
EU Disbursement Following Reform Actions
Kos said the disbursement would come from the EU's Ukraine facility, which is separate from the 90 billion euro loan.
Conditions and Future Prospects for EU Aid
"There is a Ukraine plan, where we have 173 reforms they have to do ... and if they deliver, we can give them the money," Kos told Reuters after the event.
She welcomed the recent election results in Hungary, which had blocked the much larger EU loan to Ukraine.
"The chances that Ukraine will get the 90 billion euro loan are 100% and we are already in contact," Kos said. "Our president was speaking to the future, possible new prime minister of Hungary, Peter Magyar, and I think that we will be able to make this (happen) very soon."
"I am very happy because finally I can deliver, the European Union can deliver what we promised. Sometimes it takes time, yes indeed. But what we promise we deliver."
Reporting and Editing Credits
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Paul Simao)
