EU Chief: Coming Days Crucial for Keeping Ukraine Funded

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday the bloc must take a decision on financing Ukraine at a crunch summit this week, with leaders under pressure to agree a plan to use frozen Russian assets.

“There is no more important act of European defense than supporting Ukraine’s defense. The next days will be a crucial step for securing this, it is up to us to choose how we fund Ukraine’s fight,” von der Leyen told EU lawmakers. “We know the urgency. It is acute. We all feel it. We all see it.”

Von der Leyen is pushing a plan to use frozen Russian central bank assets to provide Kyiv a 90-billion-euro loan over the next two years — but that move faces fierce opposition from Belgium, which hosts most of the funds. (AFP)