European Commission refutes Kiev’s statements about 27-billion-euro shortfall

Kiev does not face a budget shortfall of 27 billion euros, European Commission Spokeswoman Paula Pinho told reporters.

"We have never said that there was a financial gap. This is what we are hearing from reports. Yesterday, we came to a conclusion, together with our Ukrainian friends, that there is no financial gap," she said.

In response to a reporter’s question about how Kiev ended up facing the shortfall, Pinho recommended contacting the Ukrainian leadership, who she said have more information on the topic.

"I think the number one conclusion emerging from yesterday’s meeting is that we looked at what is in the pipeline from the part of the EU. The figure yesterday was 37 billion [euros]. This went down a little bit to 34 billion [euros] today, given the disbursement that we have just made [in the amount of 2.9 billion euros]. We concluded that what is in the pipeline will effectively address the needs of Ukraine this year," European Commission Spokesman Balazs Ujvari, who oversees the issue of funding for Ukraine, pointed out.

 He also noted that the European Commission is counting on its partners to provide Kiev with any potential additional funding.