Kanyshai Butun
01 April 2026•Update: 01 April 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting Tuesday with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas in Kyiv to discuss solutions that would help unblock €90 billion ($105 billion) in credit for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy underlined the importance of the funds, which he said are a financial guarantee of security not only for Ukraine but also for Europe, according to the presidential press service.
The credit was blocked Jan. 27 by Budapest in response to Ukraine’s decision to halt deliveries of energy resources via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia.
Zelenskyy and Kallas also focused on strengthening sanctions against Russia, in particular the early adoption of the 20th EU sanctions package, with Zelenskyy saying maximum efforts should be made to unblock the package, especially amid the partial easing of sanctions on Russian oil.
The two also spoke in detail about supporting Ukraine’s European integration and the importance of opening negotiation clusters.
Zelenskyy awarded Kallas the Order of Princess Olha, First Class, bestowed on women for “personal merits in state, production, scientific, educational, cultural, charitable and other spheres of social activity, and for the upbringing of children in families.”
Kallas thanked Zelenskyy for the award, saying she will do what she can to support Ukraine in defending the country.
“I am honored to receive the Order of Princess Olha,” she wrote on the US social media platform X. “Ukraine has been on my mind every day since Russia started its war of aggression.”
Speaking at a news conference during an informal meeting of the EU Council on Foreign Affairs in Kyiv, Kallas said the EU is providing Ukraine with additional financing.
“Today, I am pleased that we are providing Ukraine with an additional 80 million euros, obtained from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets. Regarding energy needs, we briefly discussed this today. We continue to mobilize international support,” she said, according to Ukrinform.
