Merz Called On The EU To Further Increase Its Financial Support For Ukraine

• 15.10.2026, 18:18

Kyiv needs long-term assistance.

On the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for increased financial support for Ukraine. “We must do everything we can to help Ukraine get through the winter and to support it next year as well,” Merz said on Thursday, October 15.

“We will have to increase funding again to truly provide Ukraine with long-term assistance,” the chancellor said. He cited his visit to Kyiv on October 4, which allowed him to assess the situation on the ground. “We see that Russia is waging an increasingly ruthless wave of attacks against Ukraine,” Merz emphasized.

Support for Ukraine is on the agenda for the EU summit on Friday, October 16. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that he had arrived in Brussels on Thursday and plans to hold numerous “important meetings,” including with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the heads of government of Poland, Denmark, and Belgium.

On October 16, Zelenskyy intends to meet with EU leaders and the heads of government of Hungary, Finland, and Sweden. Zelenskyy did not mention a meeting with Merz, who had met with the Ukrainian president in Kyiv on October 4. “All of us in Europe want this war to end. And to achieve that, we need strong signals: more pressure on Russia and more support for Ukraine in the defense sector,” the Ukrainian president emphasized.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also expressed support for Ukraine following talks with European leaders in Brussels. “After today’s talks with European leaders in Brussels, I can assure you, dear Ukrainian friends and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: YOU ARE NOT ALONE,” Tusk wrote on social media platform X.