Germany's Merz complains about unfair burden sharing, calls EU to prioritize new Ukraine loan

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed concern over the perceived unfair burden sharing among EU members regarding financial support for Ukraine. In a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, Merz urged the EU to prioritize a discussion on plugging the financial gap for Ukraine in 2027. According to Merz, Ukraine's budget shortfall in 2027 is estimated at 70 billion euros ($78.6 billion), with 45 billion euros ($50.5 billion) expected to be covered by the EU.

Merz emphasized that this issue should be placed as a priority at the upcoming informal meeting of the European Council, which is scheduled for November 13 in Dublin and November 26-27 in Brussels. The original agenda for the November 13 meeting was focused on artificial intelligence, but Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni successfully lobbied to include discussions on the EU's approach to upcoming peace talks.

Merz now seeks time to address financial support for Ukraine during the November 26-27 meeting, which is scheduled to discuss the EU's multiannual budget for 2028-2034.

Merz's letter does not constitute an ultimatum but stresses the shared vital interest of Europe in supporting Ukraine against Russia. He reiterated that providing this support is an indivisible responsibility shared by all member states. However, Merz highlighted that bilateral assistance to Ukraine is unevenly distributed and primarily carried by a few member states. Germany, as the largest financial contributor to Ukraine within the EU, acknowledged that support is not evenly shared.

Furthermore, Merz referenced a previous attempt by Berlin to secure a multiannual financing perspective for Ukraine in 2025, which ultimately failed. The assets discussion, though it has been set aside for now, could potentially resurface as a factor in the debate. As support for Ukraine is framed in terms of potential costs to European taxpayers, there is a growing temptation for some countries, such as Sweden, to revisit the issue.