Ukraine needs military support, economic stability, and a clear European perspective. That’s why on 21 October, the Parliament debated the possibility of a so-called “reparations loan” based on frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank. The assets themselves would remain untouched; repayment would only begin once Russia pays reparations. This way, we relieve European budgets – and provide Ukraine with planning security during the war and for reconstruction.
In addition, Parliament has paved the way for a gradual end to oil and gas imports from Russia starting in 2026. This strengthens our strategic independence and weakens Putin’s war machine.
My speech:
In my speech, I made clear: We can no longer act as if we are living in peace. Putin’s actions are bringing us closer to war week by week. If we want to defend our values and our security, EU Member States must now stand together – and be prepared to defend every inch of our European project, together. Because if we do not, there will eventually be nothing left to defend.
This week, I also discussed Ukraine and European defense with Norbert Röttgen, Andrij Melnyk, Reinhard Merkel, and Frederik Pleitgen on “maybrit illner” and spoke with German broadcaster WDR.
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