EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius called on European countries to use an existing defense investment fund to support Ukraine after the US switched from providing aid to selling weapons for Ukraine. He said Europe must act through its own financial instruments and not wait for future compensation schemes.
Kubilius: EU states should direct SAFE loans to Ukraine
Speaking to Bloomberg Television on 23 October during the Berlin Global Dialogue, Kubilius said several EU countries had already told the European Commission that they are ready to use loans from the $174 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program for Ukraine. The fund, created to strengthen the EU’s defense industry, could now become a vital source of support for Kyiv.
“Ukraine needs our assistance. And that’s really our obligation,” Kubilius said. He emphasized that member states should use SAFE loans specifically to aid Ukraine.
After US ends aid, Europe faces pressure to act
US President Donald Trump has not approved new assistance to Ukraine since taking office in January and shifted mid‑summer to a system in which American weapons are only supplied if paid for by other allies. Kubilius’s appeal followed this policy change, which has increased pressure on European countries to find new sources of financing for Kyiv’s war effort.
Kubilius said he hoped countries would not hold back on using SAFE funds while waiting for other solutions. He warned against “temptation to think that, OK, if reparation loan is coming, so we shall not use SAFE loans for Ukraine.”
EU struggles to unlock frozen Russian assets
At a meeting in Brussels on 23 October, EU leaders sought to overcome Belgium’s objections to a proposal to use frozen Russian central bank assets as guarantees for about $163 billion in new loans for Ukraine. Kubilius said that adopting the plan would show Russian President Vladimir Putin that “he really will not achieve anything in Ukraine.”
