‘Hard to look Kyiv in the eye’ after financial support package gets mired in internal negotiations, Czech minister tells Brussels
It is “very difficult” to look Ukrainians in the eye and explain why the EU has broken promises to send billions of euros in financial support to Kyiv, the finance minister of the Czech Republic said on Tuesday.
At a meeting in Brussels, Zbynek Stanjura urged his fellow EU finance ministers to ensure a new aid package of €18 billion is approved in time for payments to start next year.
Brussels has only sent €3 billion of the promised €9 billion in financial assistance it pledged to Ukraine in May, with the money mired in negotiations between EU countries.
“It’s very difficult to look the Ukrainian ministers in the eye,” Mr Stanjura told reporters after the EU finance ministers meeting, “and explain to them why we’re incapable of honouring the promises made by our heads of state and government.”