Corriere della Sera: Germany has been blocking the EU aid package for Ukraine worth nine billion euros for more than a month

The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera claims that the German authorities are slowing down the allocation of a €9 billion aid package to Ukraine, which should become the main form of EU support for Ukraine. This publication was told by sources in Kyiv and Brussels.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner opposed the European Commission financing the aid package with the total European debt, as happened during the pandemic, the newspaper writes.

The leaders of the EU countries agreed on a package of assistance to Ukraine at the end of May. Assistance provides that Kyiv will receive interest-free loans with repayment in 25 years, and the European Commission will raise money by issuing European debt. Germany is the largest guarantor of these Eurobonds.

So far, Christian Lindner has approved only the first tranche of one billion euros, which is planned to be sent in July. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said the country needs five billion dollars a month. In September, notes Corriere della Sera, Ukraine may default on its external debt of $900 million.

The newspaper points out that the resulting deadlock could be one of the reasons why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Andriy Melnyk, the Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin, from his post. Zelensky called his removal "a matter of rotation."