German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s push to link Ukraine aid with the European Union’s next long-term budget has turned a financing dispute into a test of agreement on the bloc’s 2028-34 spending plan. The Guardian reported that Merz signaled he would block the plan if leaders failed to settle Ukraine financing.
In a letter to European Council President António Costa, which Reuters said it had seen, Merz asked EU members to contribute toward a projected €70 billion gap in Ukraine’s 2027 financing. The letter put the expected EU contribution at €45 billion.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called the linkage “blackmail” and said Slovakia could use the same veto power as Germany. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said a budget deadlock would hold up funds intended for Ukraine. Reuters reported the leaders’ remarks. The dispute follows Merz’s earlier request for a bloc-wide commitment on Kyiv’s 2027 financing, covered in EconoTimes’ report on Fico’s veto threat.
The Guardian reported that Merz has argued Ukraine support costs fall on a relatively small group of EU governments. His stance has angered some Central European governments that receive more from the EU budget than they contribute and have resisted another Ukraine support package, the newspaper reported.
EU leaders are scheduled to meet at a special budget summit Nov. 26-27. Costa is seeking a deal by the end of the year, the Guardian reported.
