BRUSSELS, February 11. /TASS/. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Ukraine requires €60 billion in foreign assistance this year to meet its needs.

"Just this year, Ukraine’s requirements for external support to cover its needs amount to €60 billion. Therefore, every billion from both sources, bilateral, meaning national, and European, matters," Pistorius said upon arriving at a regular meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels.

He shares the concerns of some countries that an EU loan to Ukraine could lead to a reduction in bilateral support for Kiev. "I naturally share this concern because we need these funds on top of what already exists," the minister indicated. "It’s specifically additional money that we need," Pistorius concluded.

Earlier, ambassadors from 24 of the 27 EU countries (excluding the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia) approved a mechanism for financing Kiev totaling €90 billion for 2026-2027, which was agreed upon at the EU summit in December as a replacement for the failed expropriation of Russian assets. Of this amount, €30 billion will go towards financing Ukraine’s state budget, and €60 billion towards arms supplies. The funds are to be borrowed by EU countries on financial markets, with the European Commission servicing the interest payments from the EU budget.