On Thursday, a summit of European Union leaders will begin, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky personally attending. The first item on the agenda will be a discussion of the latest events in Ukraine and ways to further support from the EU.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Discussion on Financial Support and Sanctions Against Russia
Following the introductory discussion involving Zelensky, EU leaders will continue to address the Ukrainian issue among themselves. A key topic will be ensuring Ukraine’s financial needs for the next two years. As noted by one European official, summit participants are expected to provide the European Commission with a political mandate to prepare a specific proposal regarding the use of frozen assets, taking into account the positions of various member states.
“EU leaders will primarily focus on Ukraine’s financial needs over the next two years… Essentially, the idea is to provide a broadly supported political mandate for the European Commission and its work on a proposal that will also include the possible use or gradual use of cash reserves related to immobilized assets,” emphasized the EU official.
The official also stated that negotiations are currently underway regarding the adoption of the 19th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, which is being blocked by Slovakia. There is hope that a political agreement on new restrictions, as well as the issue of the “shadow fleet,” will be reached soon.
Diplomatic Initiatives and Orban’s Position
European diplomats emphasize the importance of continued efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine. At the same time, it is stressed that only Ukraine has the right to make decisions regarding its own territories and borders, and all negotiations should be based on the existing line of conflict.
Regarding the participation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the official reported that Orban will not take part in the “Ukrainian part” of the summit, as he will only arrive in the middle of the day when this issue will have already been discussed.
Commenting on a possible summit between the presidents of the USA and Russia in Budapest, the EU representative noted that there is currently insufficient information about this event, making it difficult to predict whether it will be discussed with Orban during the summit.
Today, a joint statement by Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders was released, emphasizing that Ukraine remains the only party in the war that sincerely seeks peace. The document also highlights the need to increase pressure on Russia.
Leaders of European countries expressed support for the principle of the inviolability of international borders and emphasized that the use of force cannot be a basis for their revision. The statement also mentions that Russia is employing a tactic of prolonging negotiations, while only Ukraine demonstrates a genuine desire for peace.