EU leaders failed to agree on using frozen Russian assets for a loan to Ukraine, which was met with satisfaction in Moscow. Instead, Kyiv will receive a €90 billion loan guaranteed by the EU's common budget, while Russian funds remain blocked. This is reported by Politico, writes UNN.
Details
Kirill Dmitriev, one of the Kremlin's leading representatives, called the decision "a serious blow to European warmongers led by Ursula (ed. - von der Leyen)." "Voices of common sense in the EU have blocked the illegal use of Russian reserves to finance Ukraine," he added in an X post. "Law and prudence prevail... for now."
Grigory Karasin, head of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, wrote on Telegram: "for now, international law, not Ursula von der Leyen, prevails." He added that the EU's concession is a "moderately encouraging signal." "The remnants of a civilized approach to financial traditions have stopped those who tried to bring the situation to a serious collapse."
As the publication notes, negotiations on Thursday reached an impasse after Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever refused to withdraw his objections to the use of these assets, which are held in a financial depository in Brussels. In his opinion, this would expose Belgium to a number of legal and other threats from Moscow.
Recall
The bloc's 27 leaders gathered on Thursday and discussed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to send Moscow's frozen billions to Kyiv, but ultimately failed to reach a consensus. Instead, they opted for a €90 billion loan, financed by common debt, to support Ukraine's financial stability.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who participated in part of Thursday's summit to promote the use of the Kremlin's frozen billions, stated on Friday morning that he was "grateful to all European Union leaders for the European Council's decision on financial support for Ukraine in the amount of €90 billion" and noted that "Russian assets remain frozen."