Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on EU member states to take part together and make a binding contribution to closing the funding gap identified by Kyiv. According to government sources and consistent media reports, Merz wrote to the President of the European Council on 9 and 10 November, António Costa, and reiterated in internal briefings that all countries must make a fair contribution “without exception”. Sources close to the of the Federal Government, published on the same day. They show both increased participation in the say that Berlin is making his agreement in Brussels conditional on a reliable, multi-year funding commitment from all partners for Ukraine; this also concerns discussions on the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
The move comes ahead of a special summit on 26 and 27 November 2026 in Brussels. There, heads of state and government will discuss further aid for Ukraine and the broad outlines of the future EU budget. Since October, European Commission and member states have been examining various funding options, including new EU loans, the use of proceeds from frozen Russian assets and additional bilateral contributions. EU sources say that pledged funds and ongoing loans cover only part of Ukraine’s expenditure in the short term, and that additional instruments are needed.
The German government also stresses that Germany has already arranged extensive support for Kyiv and is working on further assistance, for example to help secure supplies for winter and energy. In the debate over burden-sharing, net contributor countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria are insisting on clear commitments from all partners. Critics in several capitals warn, however, that making approval of the next budget framework conditional on a commitment to provide aid to Ukraine could make it harder to strike a balance between frugal countries and those facing greater costs.
Supporters of the proposal argue that a joint commitment would give Kyiv greater predictability and strengthen domestic acceptance in donor countries. Sceptics counter that overly strict conditions could delay compromises in the European Council. One thing is clear: pressure is mounting ahead of the Brussels summit to agree on a sustainable funding framework that combines short-term support with a multi-year outlook. The exact contribution from individual countries remains unknown and is likely to be one of the key points in the negotiations.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).