The fight against Russia in Ukraine is now firmly Western Europe's attempt.
The European Union this past week signed off on the equivalent of $105 billion in loans to keep Kyiv afloat through the end of next year -- but officials warned that it might not be enough.
With Russia determined to continue its four-year activity until it dominates its neighbor, and President Trump pulling back from Europe and focused on the Middle East, Ukraine finds itself reliant on the traditionally wary EU in its struggle for survival.
The confirmation of the loan ahead of a summit in Cyprus on Thursday, long blocked by recently ousted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, marked a fresh sign of resolve and unity in the bloc.
"For the first time in years there are no Russians in the room," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media, an apparent reference to Orban, who had warm ties with Moscow but stayed away from the EU summit after recently losing an election. "Huge relief," Tusk added.
The funding decision, which Orban cleared this past week after his election defeat, comes at a critical moment for Ukraine, which needs the cash to sustain its economy and its military amid Russian assaults as Moscow seeks to grab more land inhabited by Russians in its neighbor's east. Kyiv now depends on its western neighbors for money to shore up its budget and fund weapons purchases to help it hold off Russia's giant military. The Trump administration has stopped providing military aid to Ukraine and sought to mediate an end to the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the EU funding could push Russia toward negotiations. "It means that we are not empty, and we are strong."
The loan follows recent announcements that Ukraine will jointly produce weapons in allied European countries including Germany, Denmark, Norway and the U.K.
Shifting the burden of the war onto Europe's shoulders has long been a goal of the Trump administration. Vice President JD Vance has said that halting funding to Ukraine was "one of the things I'm proudest of."
Still, asked if the European loan was a sign that Ukraine no longer needs the U.S., Zelensky said his country needs all the assistance it can get.
"During the conflict we need everything and everybody," he said Thursday on his way into a meeting with European leaders. "We need the United States."
The U.S. provides crucial aerial interceptors that Kyiv needs to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles.
It also furnishes Ukraine's military with battlefield intelligence. Europe can't replace these capabilities.
While the Biden administration provided military equipment directly to Ukraine, European countries are buying weapons from the U.S. and sending them to Ukraine.
Zelensky expressed concerns that the U.S. military's use of weapons, especially interceptors, in the Middle East, is draining stocks that Ukraine needs.
Kyiv secured $4 billion in fresh defense commitments from Germany at a meeting this month of the countries that back Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. The agreements focused on air-defense, drones and joint defense production.
Zelensky has sharpened his tone toward the U.S. The Ukrainian leader said Thursday he expects U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to visit Kyiv. Not coming would be "disrespectful" given that they have been to Moscow, he said in a recent interview with Ukrainian media.
"At present, for us, the events in Ukraine is the number one issue. For the Americans, the war in Iran is the number one issue," Zelensky told journalists via WhatsApp on Thursday.
While the 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan resolves a protracted battle in Brussels, there are concerns that the bloc will have to revisit funding Ukraine next year, rather than in 2028 as was hoped.
The EU's loan was supposed to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's core budget and defense funding needs for this year and next. Japan and Western nations such as the U.K. are in talks to provide the estimated 45 billion euros needed through the end of 2027, diplomats said, but no money has been locked in.
In addition, Ukraine's funding gap for next year has grown since the loan package was initially planned, diplomats said. Ukraine needs an additional 19 billion euros to cover its budget needs next year, they said. That means EU leaders potentially could have to seek a new loan of tens of billions of euros again in 12 months.
The EU has faced several challenges in recent months including a crisis in its relationship with the Trump administration and a fresh surge in energy prices caused by the Iran war. Nationalist parties in France and Germany are calling for an end to funding for Ukraine. Any push for new money for Ukraine next year will bump up against a French presidential election.
Meanwhile, progress in Ukraine's quest for EU membership has been slow. Officials in Brussels have floated offering Ukraine some of the benefits of membership in coming years as a symbolic step toward accession. But Zelensky rejected the idea. "Ukraine does not need symbolic membership in the EU. Ukraine is defending itself and is definitely defending Europe. And it is not defending Europe symbolically -- people are really dying."” [1]
In reality, the Americans are still fighting - providing the weapons, covered by money of Western Europeans. Americans are also aiming those weapons. Zelensky’s people are only pushing that big red button when they are said to push. "Big Red Button" (Command Control): Ukraine relies heavily on American intelligence for targeting. Western Europeans are no use for targeting.
1. World News: The Ukraine War Is Europe's Now --- The EU approved loans to help keep Kyiv afloat -- but it might not be enough. Kim Mackrael; Malenko, Anastasiia; Norman, Laurence. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 25 Apr 2026: A7.
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