Zelenskyy rejects reports of tense meeting with EU chief

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected reports that his meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in New York was tense, describing the talks instead as “absolutely positive.”

Bloomberg had reported that the September 22 meeting took place in a tense atmosphere, citing a person briefed on the discussions. The reported tensions centred in part on EU demands for further reforms and conditions linked to additional financial support for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said the two sides had agreed to continue working on solutions to Ukraine’s financing needs. They discussed a funding shortfall exacerbated by the rising costs of the war, as well as the possibility of linking part of European financial support to the adoption of required legislation by Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.

According to Zelenskyy, he explained to von der Leyen that the war prevents the Ukrainian parliament from operating under normal conditions. He nevertheless said lawmakers would support the legislation needed to secure continued financial assistance.

Ukraine will also send a financial team to discuss whether part of a second tranche of funding can be released ahead of schedule.

“We agreed, they will consult and think about how to allocate part of the money from the second tranche, accelerate the allocation of funds, because we need money for drones,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president said the meeting was constructive despite the reports to the contrary.

“The meeting was, by the way, absolutely positive. I don’t know where such a message came from. I would even say that it was a very positive meeting,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian presidency said the September 22 talks focused on ensuring the country’s financial resilience this year and next. Zelenskyy also thanked the EU for approving a €90 billion loan and said Ukraine was fulfilling its commitments under the arrangement. The two sides agreed that their teams would explore additional ways to provide financial support.

By Tamilla Hasanova