In brief
In a joint press conference in Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged the European Union to incorporate its Ukraine policy into the bloc’s next long‑term budget and to treat support for Kyiv as a shared responsibility among member states. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar echoed the call but highlighted the difficulty of reaching a consensus on financial contributions across the 27 member states. Other outlets, including ANSA and a Facebook group, reported similar positions, with an added note that Merz expressed doubts about Ukraine’s membership in the EU before the next budget cycle ends in 2034.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a high‑profile plea in Berlin on 10 November for the European Union’s next long‑term budget to fully reflect its policy toward Ukraine, saying that future financial support for the war‑torn country must be negotiated as part of the bloc’s budget rather than left to individual states.
In the same press conference, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar echoed Merz’s call for inclusive budgeting but cautioned that reaching an agreement among 27 member states would be challenging, citing diverging national interests and the need to protect other traditional budgetary areas such as agriculture and cohesion funds.
Xinhua reported that “Merz said Ukraine policy must be fully included in the EU budget, while acknowledging that at least four member states hold different views,” and that the EU “must not reduce its financial support for Ukraine, as it is a matter of collective European security.” The agency also highlighted the shared responsibility angle, noting that the support should not rest on any one member state.
"Ukraine policy must be fully included in the EU budget," Merz said during the briefing.
ANSA, in a brief note, repeated Merz’s import that the policy toward Ukraine be fully incorporated into the European budget, adding that “I am aware that there are differing perspectives on this—at least four member …”. The report did not elaborate beyond this acknowledgement of divergent views.
"We must fully incorporate our policy towards Ukraine into the European budget," the German leader stated, “I am aware that there are differing perspectives on this—at least four member …”.
The Facebook group post quoting Merz added that the Chancellor “doubts Ukraine will join the European Union before the end of the next budget cycle, which runs until 2034.” The post also emphasized that the German leader stressed the importance of maintaining a firm stance on Ukraine support within the forthcoming budget negotiations.
Across the varying accounts, all sources converge on Merz’s central message of embedding Ukraine aid into the EU’s financial framework, yet they differ in detail about the breadth of consensus and the long‑term trajectory of Ukraine’s EU membership prospects.
