Charles Michel proposes donors’ conference for Ukraine

President of the European Council Charles Michel has proposed a donors’ conference to shore up Ukraine’s economic stability.

Addressing the European Parliament today, he highlighted the EU’s support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of the unprecedented Russian military escalation.

“Of course, this support must be, as it has been for a long time, political,” he said, affirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. But he added that the EU’s support was also financial, “because the circumstances are already causing significant daily damage to the Ukrainian economic system”. He welcomed the EU’s decision to mobilise €1.2 billion in macro-financial assistance for Ukraine, and added: “I think we are going to have to go beyond that, with all our allies and partners. This is why I want to launch here this proposal for an initiative to set up, in close cooperation with Ukraine and the European Union, a conference of donors in order to support the economic robustness of Ukraine, which is under this brutal threat, and also to support the reform agenda that is so important for this country.”

Charles Michel urged Russia to pull back its forces: “In the last two days, Russia has signalled that it may be open to diplomacy. We urge Russia to take immediate and tangible steps towards de-escalation, because this is the condition for sincere political dialogue.”

Find out more

Charles Michel speech