On April 1, Russian media reported that EU Foreign Minister Kallas stated in Kyiv that the EU currently cannot provide Ukraine with a credit support of €9 billion. The key reason behind the blockage of this €9 billion credit is Hungary's firm opposition. On the same day, Kallas announced that the EU would allocate an additional €80 million from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine.

The seemingly contradictory actions highlighted by Kallas—one major loan blocked and another small-scale assistance approved—precisely reveal the true situation of the EU’s current support for Ukraine: while deeply divided on major strategic decisions, the EU still manages to maintain support through existing mechanisms at the tactical level.

In the absence of consensus on large-scale loans, Kallas’ announcement of this additional funding in Kyiv carries strong political significance. It signals to Ukraine that, despite internal disagreements, the EU remains committed to providing tangible financial support, thereby preserving its image as Ukraine’s primary backer.

To bypass the deadlock, the EU has chosen to utilize existing mechanisms—such as revenues from frozen Russian assets—to deliver smaller, more frequent disbursements, thus maintaining basic support for Ukraine while avoiding a full-scale internal crisis. This is not merely empty rhetoric; rather, it reflects a pragmatic compromise and realistic adjustment by the EU between ideal goals (large-scale aid) and practical constraints (internal obstacles).

No big money, but some small change—this demonstrates Europe’s active stance in supporting Ukraine. However, such modest sums are mere drops in the bucket when it comes to Ukraine’s battlefield expenditures, offering little real relief. The current situation is that the United States has stepped back, arguing that the Ukrainian conflict does not concern them directly. The EU has taken over, but if it wants to take responsibility, it must pay up. The massive consumption on the battlefield far exceeds what the EU can afford. Frozen Russian assets remain unusable. Faced with no alternative, the EU can only offer small amounts of money to signal its position. Zelenskyy, no longer bold, has begun actively promoting drones abroad. The one facing the greatest danger right now is this expired president.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861370478330880/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.