Ukraine's PM to meet with Slovakia's Fico in bid to unblock €50 billion aid

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced this on Telegram.

"The European Council summit will take place on February 1. Ukraine expects that a positive decision will be made there to allocate financial support to Ukraine in the amount of 50 billion euros under the Ukraine Facility program," he wrote.

Shmyhal reminded that this program provides not only for the allocation of EUR 50 billion in financial support, but also for "the systemic transformation of Ukraine on its way to the EU."

The government has drafted a plan and vision for this process, and has received and taken into account comments from the European Commission.

"In the coming weeks, we are also planning a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to discuss all the pressing issues and remove possible obstacles to the implementation of the Ukraine Facility," Shmyhal wrote.

• On December 29, 2023, the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers approved the draft Ukraine Facility plan for submission to the European Commission.
• On January 11, the ambassadors of EU member states approved a mandate to negotiate with the European Parliament on the creation of the Ukraine Facility.
• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban insists that any financial assistance to Ukraine should be separated from the EU budget.
• In turn, Fico said that financial support for Ukraine makes no sense because the war "has no military solution."