Pressure is growing on member states to back a €90bn loan for Kyiv ahead of a Brussels summit
European leaders are being urged to decide whether to use Russia’s frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s defence at a time of unprecedented pressure from the US.
At a critical summit in Brussels on Thursday, EU leaders will be asked to make good on a promise to find urgently needed cash for Ukraine, with Kyiv under pressure to cede territory as Russia ekes out advances on the battlefield.
Speaking in the European parliament on the eve of the summit, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “There is no more important act of European defence than supporting Ukraine’s defence.” She added that “the next days will be crucial in securing this”.
Von der Leyen said Europe must take responsibility for its own security in a world she described as “dangerous and transactional”, adding: “This is no longer an option. It is a must.”
