As the Ukraine war enters a critical period, the EU moves ahead without the US

BRUSSELS (AP) — As the war in Ukraine enters a critical period, the European Union has decided it must take responsibility for what it sees as a security threat in its own neighborhood, and it's preparing to tackle some of the financial burden, perhaps even without the United States.

The EU rarely moves ahead on international matters without the U.S., particularly involving major conflicts, but it hopes this decision will encourage others to come forward.

EU envoys have been working this week on a proposal to provide Ukraine with a loan package worth up to 35 billion euros ($39 billion).

“Crucially, this loan will flow straight into your national budget,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv last week. “It will provide you with significant and much-needed fiscal space. You will decide how best to use the funds, giving you maximum flexibility to meet your needs.”

Zelenskyy wants to buy weapons and bomb shelters and rebuild Ukraine's shattered energy network as winter draws near.

Almost 1,000 days since their full-scale invasion, Russian forces are advancing in the east. Ukraine’s army has a shaky hold on part of the Kursk region in Russia, which has provided a temporary morale boost. With casualties mounting, it remains outmanned and outgunned.

Politically, Zelenskyy hopes to secure support for a “victory plan” that might force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. He’s trying to persuade U.S. President Joe Biden and other allies to help strengthen Ukraine’s hand in any future talks.

But a U.S. election looms, and polls forecast a close contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump, who has been critical of U.S. aid to Ukraine, said Wednesday that Zelenskyy should have made concessions to Putin before the invasion began in February 2022.

Most of the 27-nation EU fears a Putin victory would lead to deep uncertainty. Russia’s armed forces are depleted and currently incapable of another war, but the prospect of a future land grab in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania or Poland remains.

The EU loans are part of a plan by the Group of Seven major industrialized nations to take advantage of interest earned on about $250 billion worth of frozen Russian assets, most of them held in Europe. These windfall profits are estimated at around $4.5 billion to $5.5 billion a year.

The profits underpin the G7 plan. The EU would give up $20 billion, the U.S. $20 billion, and Canada, Japan and the U.K. $10 billion together, for a combined total of $50 billion. The scheme expires at the end of the year, before the next U.S. president takes office.

Now, amid differences over how long the Russian asset freeze should be guaranteed, the EU has decided to go it alone. Its offer of up to $39 billion in loans accounts for almost the entirety of the U.S. share as well.

The U.S. wants to ensure that the assets are locked away for at least three years to guarantee the income. But EU member Hungary insists this should only happen in 6-month increments. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán styles himself as a peacemaker and is too close to Putin for many of his partners' comfort.

The other 26 EU countries feel they must move now because time is running out.

With the U.S. election weeks away, the Europeans are wary of Trump’s unpredictability. They are testing scenarios to help protect themselves from the kind of battering, like tariff increases, that their economies received during his past presidency. But they also see the Democrats as more inward looking these days.

Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act left European leaders fuming over rules that favored American products. China and war in the Middle East are the foreign policy priorities of Democrat or Republican candidates alike, and for now the U.S. is in the grip of election campaign fever.

The EU hopes that Harris, if she is elected, would enter the loan program as previously planned and reduce the EU's financial burden. But that remains an open question for now, and EU members say Ukraine’s position is too precarious to hesitate.

Political delays in the U.S. Congress last year over a $60 billion support package starved Ukrainian troops of weapons and ammunition for months, resulting in “real consequences on the battlefield,” in the words of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Helping Ukraine in military terms is a challenge for the Europeans. They could not do it alone, and cannot match the U.S. transport, logistics and equipment superiority, despite progress in ramping up their defense industries to supply arms and ammunition.

But the world’s biggest trading bloc does wield economic might. It has already given Ukraine about $132 billion since the full-scale invasion started. Within weeks it appears ready to provide tens of billions more, even though going it alone is not in the EU's DNA.

“I do not know what the Americans, the United States with the new presidency, will do or not,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday. But, he said, “as long as the Ukrainians want to resist, we have to support them. Otherwise, we will make a historical mistake.”

The Biden administration announced Wednesday the U.S. will send Ukraine a major military aid package, including cluster bombs and an array of rockets, artillery and armored vehicles. A U.S. official also said billions of dollars more in assistance would arrive over the coming months.

Meanwhile, deliberations on the EU's share of the G7 loan package will be high on the agenda of a summit of the bloc's leaders in Brussels on Oct. 17-18.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ursula von der Leyen, left, President of the European Commission, greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following a joint press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool Photo via AP)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center, inspects a generator with head of State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU)Andriy Danyk during a visit to the headquarters of the State Emergency Service (SESU), in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Christoph Soeder, Pool via AP)

In this image provided by the Office of the Ukrainian Presidency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, is watched by Rich Hansen, the commander's representative for the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, while signing military ordnance in Scranton, Pa., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Office of the Ukrainian Presidency via AP)

A residential building is seen heavily damaged after a Russian airstrike in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives to address the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

U.S. President Joe Biden, center, with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, front second left, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, front left, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, front second right, President of Poland Andrzej Duda, right, and other world leaders pose for a family picture of the launching of a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukrainian Recovery and Reconstruction, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in New York. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

President Joe Biden hosts an event with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, and other world leaders launching a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukrainian Recovery and Reconstruction, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jhonattan Vegas played the best golf hardly anyone saw Thursday in the PGA Championship.

Brilliant sunshine after three days of rain brought out a full house of spectators expecting a great show. They just didn't get it from who they came to see — Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele — and most of them were long gone when Vegas worked his magic in the late afternoon.

Two good par saves. Two short birdies. Another par save. And then three birdies at the end for a 7-under 64, giving the 40-year-old Venezuela his best score in 45 rounds at the majors and a two-shot lead on an opening day of surprises.

“Incredible,” Vegas said when asked to summarize his round. “Any chance you get to shoot 64 at a major championship is always great.”

Equally incredible is that for the first time in at least 30 years, none of the top 10 players in the world ranking could be found in the top 10 of the leaderboard after 18 holes at a major.

The biggest crowds belonged to the top three in the world, and it wasn’t nearly as inspiring as four of the last five majors they have combined to win.

At his first major since winning the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, McIlroy didn’t make birdie over his last 12 holes and had nothing to say about that after a 3-over 74 sent him straight to the range.

Scheffler, the world No. 1, and defending PGA champion Schauffele had plenty to say about mud balls on tee shots, particularly on the 16th hole that sent both to double bogey. Scheffler at least holed two shots from off the green — one for birdie, one for eagle — and he finished with a 6-iron from 215 yards to 3 feet on No. 9 that sent him to a 69.

“I did a good job battling and keeping a level head out there during a day which there was definitely some challenging aspects to the course,” Scheffler said. “Did a good job posting a number on a day where I didn’t have my best stuff.”

Vegas tied for the lead by getting up-and-down from behind the green on the par-5 seventh. He holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 eighth. And on the rugged ninth hole, his tee shot held up in the grass just short of the bunker. He hit that to 25 feet and ended his amazing day with a third straight birdie.

He has never finished in the top 20 in a major and hadn't qualified for this one in three years.

Vegas had a two-shot lead over Ryan Gerard, the PGA Tour rookie who grew up in North Carolina and was the only other player to reach 7 under until bogeys on his last two holes. He was joined at 66 by Cam Davis of Australia.

They weren't the only players who might an introduction to casual golf fans.

Alex Smalley, the first alternate who found out about 15 hours before he teed off that he had a spot in the field, rolled in a 70-foot eagle putt on his way to a 67. Ryan Fox of New Zealand, who qualified by winning the Myrtle Beach Classic, also was at 67.

They were joined by a large group that included Luke Donald, the 47-year-old Ryder Cup captain for Europe who was the only player without a bogey on his card. The U.S. captain, Keegan Bradley, was another shot behind.

“It's always fun, bogey-free in a major championship on a course that you wouldn't have thought would be ideal for me,” said Donald, who is only in the field because of a PGA of America tradition to invite active Ryder Cup captains.

Considering the champions the majors have produced in recent years, this leaderboard more closely resembled the Myrtle Beach Classic. None of the top eight players have won a major, nor have they ever seriously contended.

Gerard looked comfortable playing before a home crowd. He made a tough par on the rugged ninth hole, then ran off four straight birdies on the back nine, and was 7 under for the round after holing a 60-footer for eagle on the par-5 15th.

Davis had seven birdies and narrowly missed a 10-foot par putt on his last hole for the lead. Not bad for someone who recently ended a stretch of five straight missed cuts and hasn't had a top 10 since early February.

“It’s just constantly trying to go back to things that have worked, trying to keep the head in a place where you’re not feeling like you’re banging your head against the wall all the time,” Davis said. “It's letting it organically come — good processes, good routines, all those little one percenters add up to good golf eventually.”

The others at 67 were Stephan Jaeger and Aaron Rai, who both became first-time PGA Tour winners last year.

Scheffler at 69 had the best score of anyone from the top 10 in the world.

McIlroy, a four-time winner at Quail Hollow, came into this PGA Championship believing that thrill-a-hole Masters title last month that gave him the career Grand Slam would be the highlight of his career no matter what he does from here.

A sloppy round, particularly off the tee, wasn't going to change that. It was no less surprising to see him struggle at Quail Hollow, posting his highest round since a 76 in the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship in 2018.

Schauffele wound up with a 72 in his bid to go back-to-back in the PGA Championship.

Jordan Spieth likely will have to wait until next year at Aronimink to try for the career Grand Slam. The three-time major champion, lacking only the Wanamaker Trophy for his major collection, ran off three straight bogeys early on the back nine and shot 76.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, and Scottie Scheffler line up a their putts on the 14th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Cameron Davis, of Australia, hits from the fairway on the ninth hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Ryan Gerard hits his tee shot on the 17th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the 16th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Jhonattan Vegas, of Venezuela, waves after making a putt on the seventh hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)