Europe’s decisions should force Russia not to continue the war: what to expect from the EU summit
фото: Reuters
On Thursday, December 18, a European Union summit will begin in Brussels, where leaders will discuss financing for Ukraine, including the possibility of using Russian frozen assets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that this will be an important meeting.
He hopes that the outcome of the summit will be such that it will force the Kremlin not to continue the war with Ukraine next year.
“The result of these meetings, the result of Europe, should be such that Russia feels that their desire to fight again next year will not make sense, because Ukraine will have support. This depends one hundred percent on Europe. It is for Europe to make this choice,” the president said.
Since officials will discuss the “repatriation loan” during the meeting, the head of European diplomacy, Kai Kallas, commented to reporters the day before on the obstacles the EU has faced.
She said that active discussions are currently underway between Belgium, the EU, and the European Commission. The Commission has allegedly already made several concessions, but Brussels is not changing its position.
It is noted that the main obstacle is the Belgian government’s concerns about risk and liability sharing.
“If someone wants to file a lawsuit, it will be against the European Union, not an individual state. This means that we already share the risks, the burden and the pressure together. That is why a European proposal or a legislative option is an easier way to overcome the concerns they have,” the official explained.
Recall that Belgium criticized the European Commission’s new proposal to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, stating that the document is “categorically unacceptable.”
It was previously reported that the European Union is working on an urgent legal mechanism that will allow frozen Russian money to be safely used to lend to Ukraine, avoiding risks for Belgium.
As is known,the European Union is preparing an alternative financing scenario for Ukraine in case the leaders fail to agree on using frozen Russian assets to create a reparations loan.
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