Von der Leyen's letter to EU leaders suggests war in Ukraine will end in 2026 - media
The European Commission, when planning financial assistance to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, currently assumes that the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine should end at the end of 2026, the Kyiv-based European Pravda (Evropeiska Pravda) ezine said on Monday, referring to a letter from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to EU leaders dated November 17, a copy of which is at the disposal of the publication.
"The scale of Ukraine's financing deficit is significant. According to preliminary forecasts by the International Monetary Fund - provided that the war ends at the end of 2026 and taking into account all the support promised by the EU, member states and international partners - Ukraine will still face a huge shortfall that cannot be overcome without attracting new financing," von der Leyen wrote to the heads of state of the European Union.
The article recalled that in October 2025, the European Council committed to "addressing Ukraine's urgent financing needs for 2026-2027, including for its military and defence efforts".
The President of the European Commission identified four key parameters for providing financial assistance to Ukraine: the financing must be available quickly, with the first disbursements to be made at the beginning of the second quarter of 2026; any new financial package must ensure that it does not create an additional fiscal burden for Ukraine; the financing must be flexible enough to take into account significant uncertainties regarding Ukraine's precise financing needs for 2026-27; and a fair sharing of the "burden" of financing Ukraine with the EU's international partners must be ensured.
According to the European Commission's estimates, Ukraine will need more than EUR71 billion in external financing in 2026, of which more than EUR51 billion will go to military needs. The EU assures that the issue of using frozen Russian assets to financially support Ukraine remains on the agenda, and the final decision will be made in December 2025.
