Zelenskyy and European Central Bank President Lagarde discuss budgetary support for Ukraine and use of frozen Russian assets
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde.
This was reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine, according to Censor.NET.
"We are grateful that you chose to come to Ukraine even after strikes on our civilian infrastructure and our people. We truly value such gestures. The most important things are our people and the moral resilience of our society. That’s why we are deeply thankful to have friends who can support our people during the war," Zelenskyy said.
According to the statement, the key topic of the meeting was Ukraine’s budgetary support. Zelenskyy emphasized that despite the war, the state not only meets the needs of the defense sector but also continues to pay salaries, pensions, and social assistance.
"That is why support from institutions like the European Central Bank is so important. It’s necessary to work on closing the budget gaps that have emerged as a result of the war," the president emphasized.
He thanked the ECB for the provision of a loan under the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration for Ukraine (ERA) initiative, totaling $50 billion this year.
In addition, Zelenskyy and Lagarde discussed the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s needs. They also addressed the search for mechanisms to extend sanctions on such assets.
For her part, Lagarde assured continued financial support from the European Central Bank and praised the work of the National Bank of Ukraine.
