Ukraine is confident the European Union will deliver a €90 billion ($100 billion) loan to Kyiv, despite EU member Hungary vetoing the measure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday.
Hungary, the most Kremlin-friendly country in the EU, blocked the funding package at an EU summit earlier this month. The blockage puts immense strain on Ukraine’s finances as it battles Russia’s invasion.
“From what I know, Europe is thinking about an alternative option,” Zelensky told reporters when asked by AFP about how the EU could deliver the funds.
“They have some ideas. I think they will sort it out,” Zelensky said.
Without the loan, Ukraine could run out of funds to pay for its defenses within two months, the Bloomberg news agency reported on Friday.
Zelensky has denied reports the government could suspend the salaries of soldiers and state workers to cover the shortfall.
Hungary, whose relations with Ukraine have long been strained, has signaled it will block the loan until Ukraine resumes supplies of Russian oil via the Druzhba oil pipeline.
The pipeline has been shut since January, when Ukraine said it was damaged in a Russian drone attack.
Ukraine says it could take months to repair.
Zelensky separately said he would speak with US negotiators on Wednesday about resuming trilateral talks with Russia, which have been frozen due to the Iran war.
“We will discuss where we stand now and how close we are to trilateral agreements,” Zelensky said.