The president stated that mass work to prepare for winter should begin on April 1
Ukraine may not be able to prepare for winter, as EU countries have failed to finalize a €90 billion loan.
As reported by RBK-Ukraine, this was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference with acting Bulgarian Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov.
Also read: Critically important for the army: Zelensky explained the consequences of blocking the EU loan
Salaries and pensions
The head of state assured that there is money for salaries, military funding, and pensions, even though Ukraine has yet to start receiving the promised €90 billion from the EU.
Threats to winter preparation
According to him, the main risks lie in the issue of winter preparation. A plan has already been prepared that includes both physical protection of critical infrastructure and protection through air defense systems. Its total cost is $5.1 billion.
“We expected that this amount would be fully or partially covered by this money,” the president noted.
He explained that preparing for winter is a long-term process that needs to start as soon as possible.
“I expected that we would finalize all plans in March… and that’s exactly what happened… We need to start all construction on April 1, we need to begin work, but this is not a mass mobilization because there is no money. Therefore, this delay poses a threat for winter. And now maximum efforts are being made to find financing,” Zelensky emphasized.
First tranche
He added that the issue of the first tranche for Ukraine amounting to €45 billion should be resolved by European leaders.
“We can talk a lot about supporting Ukraine and about protection. Yet the money for support and protection is blocked. We truly believe that European leaders are much stronger together than any individual,” Zelensky concluded.
Hungary’s veto
It should be noted that Ukraine cannot receive the €90 billion loan from the European Union because Hungary is blocking the procedural decision for the transfer of funds.
The Hungarian authorities have issued an ultimatum to Ukraine – the money will only be released after the resumption of Russian oil supplies to Hungary via the “Druzhba” pipeline.
The “Druzhba” pipeline was damaged by a Russian attack back in late January. Since then, oil supplies from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia have ceased.
