European Commission to start disbursing 18.1-bln-euro loan to Ukraine in early Jan 2025

BRUSSELS. Dec 19 (Interfax) - The European Commission on Thursday announced its decision to make an 18.1-billion-euro Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loan available for Ukraine starting 2025, which is to be repaid from revenues from immobilized Russian assets.

"Today's decision by the Commission to make 18.1 billion euros available to Ukraine comes at a crucial time," European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis said.

The decision sends a clear signal that the EU's long-term commitment to support Ukraine is unwavering, Dombrovskis said.

This funding will help Ukraine meet its urgent budgetary needs and represents the EU's contribution to the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loan Initiative by using proceeds from Russian fixed assets totaling some 45 billion euros, he said.

The 18.1-billion-euro loan will be disbursed in tranches over the course of 2025, with the first tranche to be disbursed to Ukraine in early January, it said.

"This decision comes after the Commission concluded that Ukraine had fulfilled all the agreed political conditions for the disbursement of this sum," the European Commission said in a statement.