VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta will shoulder almost €8 million in interest payments by 2028 after EU leaders approved a €90 billion loan to support Ukraine’s strained public finances.
The agreement was struck early Friday morning, with 24 of the EU’s 27 member states backing the plan. Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia opted out.
Under the deal, the participating states will raise the funds on the open market and lend them to Ukraine, using the EU budget as a guarantee. This allows support to be provided without requiring governments to contribute money upfront.
Instead, member states will cover the interest costs of the loan in line with their economic size. Sources say the loan is expected to run for 40 years at an interest rate just below four per cent.
Malta’s contribution is estimated at €2.65 million in 2027 and €5.3 million in 2028. What happens beyond the initial two years remains unclear.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said Ukraine would only repay the loan once Russia compensates for war damages, raising the possibility it may never be paid back.
The deal follows tense negotiations after objections to an earlier plan to use frozen Russian assets, which Malta feared could breach international sanctions law.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
