EU summit delays decision on Ukraine funding until late night, media report
Discussions on funding for Ukraine at the European Union summit in Brussels were postponed to a later time due to the complexity of talks among member states.
Politico reported this, Censor.NET says.
What is known so far?
Instead of launching the planned discussion on Ukraine, EU leaders first focused on EU enlargement, and later moved on to debates over the EU’s long-term budget through 2027. Only after that are they expected to return to talks on further financial support for Ukraine.
European Council President António Costa changed the agenda, pushing the most difficult issue back to give technical teams time to look for a compromise. According to Politico, such consultations could take several hours and continue late into the night.
"If no agreement on funding for Ukraine can be reached today, the talks will continue tomorrow," he warned.
Ukraine funding talks: what is happening behind the scenes at the summit
According to European diplomats, intensive consultations are taking place in parallel with the official meetings between European Commission representatives and individual member states. The goal is to address objections and find a solution that would allow further financial aid for Ukraine to be approved without being blocked by certain capitals.
That is why the Ukraine issue was temporarily pushed aside to avoid a public failure of the talks and to allow a compromise to be reached behind closed doors.
Belgium and confiscation of Russian assets: Euroclear’s key role
The European Commission is currently holding closed-door consultations with the Belgian delegation in a room near the summit’s main hall. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever joined the talks, leaving the main EU leaders’ meeting for this purpose.
Diplomats said EU officials are trying to convince the Belgian side that the guarantees on offer will be sufficient to minimize legal and financial risks if Russian assets are confiscated.
Belgium’s position is decisive, as a large share of frozen Russian funds is held at the Euroclear depository, which is based in Belgium.
- Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a "turning point" had been reached on providing Ukraine with a reparations loan, and work is now underway on the technical details.
