EU approves €90bn loan for Ukraine and 20th Russia sanctions package

The Council of the European Union has formally approved amendments to the EU's 2021-2027 budget, enabling the provision of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, and also adopted the EU's 20th package of sanctions against Russia.

Source: a European Pravda correspondent, citing diplomatic sources

Details: The written procedure to approve the €90 billion loan for Ukraine and the EU's 20th Russia sanctions package was completed at the Council of the EU on the morning of 23 April.

The amendments to the EU's long-term financial framework have removed the final legal obstacle to granting Ukraine the €90 billion loan over this year and next.

The new Russia sanctions package has been adopted in the form agreed in February 2025 – without a full ban on maritime services for Russian tankers.

The adoption of both decisions followed the physical arrival of Russian oil in Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, after which both countries signed the approval documents.

Background:

• The EU plans to disburse the first tranche of the €90 billion loan to Ukraine in late May or early June.
• On 22 April, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he welcomed the unblocking of the procedure to approve the loan and sanctions package, stressing that he expects the agreements to be implemented promptly.

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