President of the European Council António Costa has hinted at “political decisions” to help fund Ukraine in 2026-27 during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Brussels on Thursday for the European Council meeting.

The meeting takes place just hours after the EU approved the 19th package of sanctions to slash all Russian energy imports by 2027, alongside US President Donald Trump’s historic decision to impose new sanctions on Russia’s largest oil firms.

Speaking alongside Zelensky in their opening remarks, Costa said that the EU “will take the political decision to ensure the financial needs of Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, including for acquisition of military equipment” on Thursday.

Costa later added that the “technicalities” of the decision will be made via the European Commission, framing Thursday’s upcoming decisions as a “clear message” to Moscow that Europe is not suffering from war fatigue, as the Kremlin has hoped.

Both Zelensky and Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine needs $120 billion for its 2026 budget, with Shmyhal adding that Kyiv needs to source $60 billion from external sources – which he said can be achieved by just 0.25% GDP from its allies.

The political decision referred to by Costa likely concerns the EU’s “reparations loan,” a plan that aims to swap €176 billion ($191 billion) of frozen Russian assets for EU bonds to help finance Ukraine’s war-strained economy.

While the plan has some backing within the bloc, others have raised concerns about its legality and potential consequences – though analysts say those fears may be overstated.

Zelensky also thanked Trump for the latest oil sanctions on Russia and the EU for the latest sanctions package.

When questioned by a reporter on whether he thinks the latest EU and US sanctions “will make a difference,” Zelensky said, “we will see” before adding that it is also “a good signal to other countries in the world to join the sanctions.”