Polish Minister of European Affairs Adam Szlapka said on Tuesday that in April Ukraine will receive the second tranche of funds from frozen Russian assets - this time 1.9 billion euros. He also indicated that the 16th package of EU sanctions against Russia is planned to be introduced by the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, UNN reports citing Business Insider Polska.
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The Polish minister reminded that since the beginning of the war, the EU countries have provided about 134 billion euros of aid to Ukraine. Out of this amount, 67 billion euros were allocated for financial, economic and humanitarian support, and 48 billion euros for military aid. In addition, about 17 billion euros were spent to support refugees in the EU.
Shlapka drew attention to the enormous involvement of EU citizens, in particular Poland, which has hosted more than 4 million Ukrainian refugees. He emphasized that the European Union is currently a key partner of Ukraine in its struggle for independence.
The Polish minister also reminded that the first tranche of income from frozen Russian assets in the amount of 1.5 billion euros was transferred to Ukraine in the summer of 2024. The second installment - 1.9 billion euros - will be transferred to Kyiv in April 2025, he said.
Mr. Shlapka noted that the EU is the largest donor of international credit to Ukraine among the G7 countries. Out of the €45 billion, the first tranche of €3 billion was transferred to Ukraine in January this year. The loan will be repaid from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.
He also added that the 16th package of sanctions against Russia is planned to be introduced by the third anniversary of the Russian invasion.
In March, the European Parliament is expected to adopt a resolution on further assistance to Ukraine. At the same time, on Tuesday, the leaders of the European Parliament's political factions issued a joint statement in which they declared their continued solidarity with Ukraine.
"In the face of a challenging international situation, we emphasize the importance of maintaining global and transatlantic solidarity with Ukraine and the need to combat Russian disinformation," the document says.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk also spoke in Strasbourg. He emphasized that one of the key goals is to start accession negotiations with the EU during the Polish presidency.
"This will be a huge impetus for further actions and proof that Ukraine not only declares its desire to join the EU, but is consistently moving towards this goal," Stefanchuk said.
He also emphasized that Ukrainians are looking forward to positive signals from both the EU institutions and the capitals of Western countries - Washington, London, Paris, Berlin and Brussels. "We want to hear that we are not alone in this war," he summarized.