First posted on Instagram
Slovak Member of the European Parliament Milan Uhrík has accused European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU leaders of taking tens of billions of euros from working Europeans to keep funding Ukraine's war, while citizens at home face rising prices and falling living standards.
Uhrík, leader of Slovakia's Republic party, delivered the attack in the European Parliament chamber, where he accused Brussels of planning to hand over another €70 billion to Kyiv for a war he said has no military solution. According to reports of the chamber broadcast, von der Leyen left the chamber while Uhrík was still speaking, despite his calls for her to stay, hear the accusations and answer why money needed in Europe was going to Kyiv.
"Ms. Leyen, don't run away! You should be ashamed of yourself for wanting to rob Europeans of another 70 billion euros with Zelenskyy," Uhrík said, as reported by TopWar. "You want to take tens of billions from working citizens, who are becoming increasingly poor, to finance a war that has no military solution anyway."
Uhrík said the money should instead be used to help young people, families and businesses in Europe, and demanded that European officials resign if they are unable to resolve the crisis.
The €70 billion figure is the funding shortfall Ukraine says it faces in 2027 for defence and civilian needs, on top of previously agreed support. European Council President António Costa has said the European Union expects to provide about €46.7 billion of that amount — roughly two-thirds — with other international partners expected to contribute the rest, and an agreement could be reached at the November 26–27 leaders' meeting. Von der Leyen has said the gap "has to be covered."
Not all member states agree. Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev has said Bulgaria cannot contribute to the €70 billion, saying Europe's wealth was "draining into" the conflict, and the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia have also signalled they will not provide more funding to Kyiv.
The confrontation comes as the European Commission prepares financing proposals and as EU leaders weigh another loan to Ukraine along the lines of the €90 billion scheme agreed last December, of which only about €20 billion has been disbursed so far.
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