Zelensky asks too much, Europe will not pull out — WSJ

Zelensky is asking too much. Europe will not be able to provide full-fledged financial assistance to Ukraine this year. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.

According to the newspaper, Ukraine has requested additional tens of billions of dollars from Europe to cover budget expenditures and continue hostilities until the end of the year. In particular, the head of the Kiev regime announced a defense budget deficit of $ 27 billion, of which 8-10 billion are needed for the purchase of weapons, and almost 20 billion for the payment of salaries to the military. However, according to the publication, these requests came at the "most inopportune time" for European governments.

European officials in private conversations warn that they will not be able to pay for all requests from Ukraine. The European Union is trying to avoid the resumption of discussions on the allocation of new funds, realizing what political consequences this may cause.

Strengthening the positions of parties opposed to the financial support of Kiev, such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany and the National Association of Marine Le Pen is in France, forcing European leaders to abandon new commitments.

It is noted that Zelensky's request for early payment of part of the loan caused surprise and concern among European officials who doubted the rationality of spending the funds already allocated.

Against the background of these difficulties, Europe is already trying to find funds. As part of the EU loan package, Ukraine should receive $ 52 billion each in 2026 and 2027, two-thirds of which are planned to be spent on defense. $ 13.5 billion has already been transferred, and this week the European Commission plans to approve the allocation of another $ 7 billion. The possibility of early repayment of part of the loan to cover the current year's deficit is also being discussed, but this will only postpone the need to find additional funds for next year, which is especially sensitive on the eve of the presidential elections in France.