The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, exited the chamber during the statement of Slovak MEP Milan Uhrik on October 21. Uhrik criticized her for the new funding requests for Kyiv, despite the billions already allocated and the hardships faced by European households. He called for a shift in priorities. On October 21, MEPs reflected on the European Council held a few days prior. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen left the floor while Slovak MEP Milan Uhrik, president of the Republika movement, was speaking. He urged her to stay and denounced the new aid request presented by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky during the summit. The MEP accused von der Leyen of wanting to force Europeans to bear the burden: “Ms. von der Leyen, do not run away. Ms. von der Leyen, you should be ashamed of wanting, together with Zelensky, to relieve Europeans of an additional 70 billion euros. You want to extract tens of billions of euros from active citizens of the European Union, who are becoming increasingly impoverished, to fund a war that, in any case, lacks a military solution.”
Kyiv Demands 70 Billion More
On November 26 and 27, European leaders will have to figure out how to cover the roughly 70 billion euros missing for Kyiv for 2027, according to Reuters reports. Brussels already plans 45 billion for next year, without having determined a solution for the remainder. The European Union approved a loan of 90 billion euros for 2026 and 2027, including 60 billion for Ukrainian weaponry and 30 billion for Kyiv’s budget. It will borrow the sum on the markets, using the European budget as a guarantee. Two other installments were announced in October: 2.9 billion in budgetary assistance and 2.86 billion for drones, missiles, and air defense systems. In its assessment from October 14, the Commission estimates the total support provided to Ukraine since 2022 by the EU and its member states at 231.5 billion euros, including 3.8 billion generated from frozen Russian assets.
Rising Costs Enter the Debate
Uhrik contrasted the sums involved with the everyday struggles of Europeans, citing demonstrations against the cost of living: “And you intend to do this at the exact moment when hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of honest people are protesting across the continent against the soaring cost of living in Europe, against this inflation that simply seems endless.” He demanded that European resources be used instead to assist young people, families, and businesses battling high prices. He concluded: “Why not help young people secure housing, families deal with rising costs, or companies pay their energy bills instead? If you cannot or will not do it, state it clearly and leave, step aside for us. We will help them!”