Decision on financing Ukraine must be made today, - von der Leyen
Ahead of the European Council meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed the importance of adopting a decision on €90 billion for Ukraine and is consulting with Belgium on frozen Russian assets.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Ukrinform.
I fully support Belgium in insisting that its concerns and anxieties be taken into account. We are working with Belgium day and night, and I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his personal involvement. It is quite clear, and I support this, that if we take a 'reparations loan', the risk must be shared among all of us. This is a question of solidarity, a basic principle of the European Union," von der Leyen explained.
She emphasized that the Council is meeting at a critical moment and has one ultimate goal—peace for Ukraine, peace through strength.
"We must find a solution today. The President of the Council has said, and I support him in this, that we will not leave the European Council without a decision on financing Ukraine for the next two years. And one of the two options must be agreed upon at the European Council," von der Leyen said.
Two financing options
The President of the European Council recalled that she had made two proposals:
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The first option is financing through the EU budget, i.e., borrowing under the budget.
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The second option is a loan secured by Russia's frozen assets.
"So today we will discuss which of the two options we will choose. The discussions will be intense," von der Leyen added.
Total amount and EU commitments
The President of the European Council also noted that the total amount of funding required is €137 billion, according to IMF estimates, of which the EU has pledged to cover two-thirds, or around €90 billion.
