EU leaders ended their Oct. 15–16 summit in Brussels without a deal on the bloc’s 2028–34 budget or new concrete funding commitments for Ukraine’s 2027 needs, sending both issues back for further work.
The budget talks exposed continuing disagreements over its size, spending priorities and how much member states should contribute, while leaders reiterated their aim of reaching an agreement by the end of 2026. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked for at least €70 billion in additional support for 2027, saying the war would cost his country about €155 billion that year. The request came on top of a €90 billion EU loan covering 2026 and 2027; leaders welcomed ongoing disbursements and said Ukraine’s 2026 budgetary and defence needs had funding identified.
Rather than pledge new money for 2027, leaders asked the European Commission to prepare a proposal addressing Ukraine’s additional financing needs. The possible use of immobilised Russian assets and how any further costs would be shared remained unresolved. For the long-term budget, leaders called for negotiations to continue, with the goal of putting the necessary legislation in place during 2027 so EU funding can continue without interruption from January 2028.