BRUSSELS, December 23. /TASS/. The Ukraine conflict may end next year on terms highly unfavorable for Kiev, Jamie Dettmer, a foreign affairs columnist at Politico, argued.
His prediction comes after EU countries failed to agree to use Russia’s immobilized assets for a reparations loan for Ukraine. The failure deprives Kiev of guaranteed funding for the next two years, according to the opinion editor. Dettmer doubts a €90 billion loan, agreed by the bloc, will be sufficient to keep Ukraine solvent.
Besides, Dettmer continued, other countries may join Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which refused to take part in the EU’s joint-borrowing scheme last week. US President Donald Trump will still be in the White House in 2026-2027, so, he wrote, there will be "no point in looking to Washington for the additional cash."
The EU summit wrapped up early Friday morning after 17 hours of talks that failed to overcome Belgium’s opposition or reach an agreement on seizing Russian assets. Participants confirmed the indefinite freezing of the assets, noting no realistic prospect of their voluntary return in the near future.
EU countries agreed to allocate funding for Ukraine totaling 90 billion euros for the period 2026-2027. The funds will be raised by member states through borrowing, with Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic formally opting out of participation. Under the EU’s plan, Ukraine will receive a zero-interest loan and will repay it if it secures "full reparations" from Russia, which Brussels estimates at over half a trillion euros. The European Commission had previously declared Ukraine insolvent and, on that basis, stated it could not extend loans but was compelled to finance Kiev directly through grants.