▲ European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stand side by side at an EU summit.
Politico's European edition reported on the 21st (local time) that the European Union, facing a heavier burden in supporting Ukraine due to the United States' blatant distancing, is set to persuade Canada and the UK to share the financial load.
To this end, the EU plans to make aid to Ukraine a major agenda item at the EU-Canada summit to be held in Montreal, Canada, on the 29th and 30th of this month, and the summit with the UK scheduled in Brussels, Belgium, on the 20th of next month.
The EU has pledged 90 billion euros (approximately 134 trillion won) in loan support to back Ukraine's financial needs for this year and next year. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to Europe for additional support at an EU summit last week, stating that the country is expected to face a funding shortfall of 70 billion euros (approximately 102 trillion won) next year.
The 27 EU member states have poured more than 231 billion euros (approximately 343.7 trillion won) into Ukraine since the outbreak of the war, accounting for about 80% of total foreign aid to Ukraine.
This amount includes not only military and financial assistance to Ukraine, but also support for Ukrainian refugees staying within the EU.
Recently, uncertainties regarding U.S. support for Ukraine have grown further as Russia intensifies its nationwide offensive using missiles and drones, and U.S. President Donald Trump, struggling with the Middle East conflict, pressures Ukraine for a unilateral end to the war, increasing the burden Europe must shoulder.
However, the EU is also facing deep concerns as most of its member states are struggling with domestic difficulties, such as being hit hard by soaring energy prices caused by the Middle East war.
Politically, far-right parties arguing for a halt to aid to Ukraine are making strides in Germany and France, the EU's leading duo. In France's case, violent protests opposing budget cuts due to a massive fiscal deficit are sweeping the country, making it burdensome just to manage internal issues.
An official from the European Commission stated that meeting Ukraine's financial needs has become a core agenda item in all meetings with allies supporting Ukraine, signaling that the issue will be intensively discussed at the summits with Canada and the UK.
Politico observed that amid intensifying U.S. trade and security pressures, the EU may leverage trade and defense—such as European market access and defense industry cooperation—to extract additional aid for Ukraine during its summits with Canada and the UK, both of which are pursuing closer ties with the EU.
According to Politico, the UK has so far pledged a total of 25 billion pounds (approximately 44.4 trillion won) to support Ukraine, while Canada has decided to provide about 5.4 billion euros (approximately 8 trillion won) in military aid and about 8.2 billion euros (approximately 12 trillion won) in financial assistance.
Politico added that the EU is also urging Japan to provide additional support and is expecting increased contributions from other partner countries such as South Korea and Australia.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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