The EU is lobbying G7 nations to step up their support for Ukraine to help offset an expected drop in funding next year.
Non-EU allies have pledged only $4.5 billion for 2027, the Financial Times reported, down from more than $20 billion this year, applying further pressure to strained government balance sheets amid a global cost-of-living crisis.
France’s far-right presidential favorite Marine Le Pen said new Ukraine funding before April elections would be a “democratic scandal,” as Ukraine hunkers down for winter: Kyiv has attempted to harden its grid as Moscow intensifies strikes on energy infrastructure, but delayed regulatory reforms have put it on the back foot. “The government is still preparing for last year’s heating season,” an analyst told Semafor.
— Brendan Ruberry