Slovenia is, according to Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič, ready to provide guarantees for a new 140 billion euro loan from the European Union to Ukraine.
Slovenian Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič. Photo: Thierry Monasse/STA
Brussels – Slovenia is ready to provide guarantees for a new loan of 140 billion euros from the European Union to Ukraine, Slovenian Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič said on the sidelines of the EU finance ministers’ meeting in Brussels. He emphasized that these would be conditional obligations of the member states. Negotiations among the member states regarding the loan are still ongoing.
“For now, Slovenia – like most European countries – is of the position that it is also ready to provide national guarantees,” Boštjančič said regarding the new loan to Ukraine, which would be financed using frozen Russian assets under sanctions.
The terms for the loan presented by the European Commission at the end of September foresee that member states should guarantee the loan. Ukraine would only repay it once Russia compensates for the war damage.
Boštjančič explained that national guarantees for member states would represent conditional obligations. “That is precisely why it is so important that this is done according to international legal standards, so that it does not ultimately affect our budget. This cannot be treated as asset seizure, but this issue will be resolved within the framework of negotiations on a peace agreement,” he emphasized.
According to the minister, it is also important that the loan is established in a legally appropriate manner so that Russia cannot seize the assets of European companies that still operate there. Slovenia is particularly cautious in this regard, especially due to the pharmaceutical company Krka, which has a strong presence in the Russian market, he said. (November 13)
