Sources said the EU has declined Ukraine’s request to accelerate loan disbursements. Ukraine told partners this summer that rising war costs create an additional €27bn financing gap in 2026 and asked the EU to advance a €90bn loan package originally meant to support Kyiv through end-2027. Von der Leyen told Zelenskiy the EU still has €37bn of 2026 budget support available but expects reforms including tougher action on the shadow economy, higher tax revenue and alignment with EU law. The EU said

Sources said the EU has declined Ukraine’s request to accelerate loan disbursements. Ukraine told partners this summer that rising war costs create an additional €27bn financing gap in 2026 and asked the EU to advance a €90bn loan package originally meant to support Kyiv through end-2027. Von der Leyen told Zelenskiy the EU still has €37bn of 2026 budget support available but expects reforms including tougher action on the shadow economy, higher tax revenue and alignment with EU law. The EU said advancing loans would likely only push the shortfall into 2027 and urged partners such as Canada, Norway and Japan to increase contributions; €45bn earmarked for 2027 will be disbursed quickly from next year. Separately, IMF projections cited by sources show a $30–35bn financing gap for Ukraine in 2027, about $17bn in 2028 and roughly $2bn in 2029.