The EU's late-night compromise ensures Ukraine's budget for the next two years, but shifts the burden onto EU finances while postponing a decisive test of how far Europe is willing to go to use Russian frozen assets.
After more than 16 hours of negotiations, EU leaders left Brussels on Friday with a deal they had promised to deliver: a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine to cover much of Kyiv's financing needs for 2026 and 2027. For a country warning of severe budgetary shortfalls — brought on by the ongoing war — as early as next spring, the agreement provides a crucial lifeline.
"We committed, we delivered," European Council President Antonio Costa said after the summit, visibly relieved to be able to present results in the early hours of Friday morning.
At the same time, the summit highlighted the growing difficulty for the European Union to translate political ambition into common action, particularly when legal risks, diverging national interests and geopolitical pressure collide.
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