Smiles of relief were on full display on Thursday, April 23, along the long red carpet laid out in the Cypriot marina of Agia Napa, guiding heads of state and government toward the imposing structure hosting their informal summit on the region's ongoing wars. After signing off in the afternoon on a massive €90 billion loan for Ukraine and a new round of sanctions against Russia, European leaders welcomed decisions that had been delayed for so long. These are "critical steps forward" for Ukraine, said Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen.
"Today is a good day – for Ukraine and for Europe," declared European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, standing alongside Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who had traveled specially to the Mediterranean island. "The EU’s strategy to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine rests on two pillars: strengthening Ukraine; increasing pressure on Russia. Today we moved forward on both," added European Council President Antonio Costa.
This loan "will strengthen our army, make Ukraine more resilient, and enable us to fulfill our social obligations," assured their Ukrainian guest, before adding: "It matters that Ukraine is securing this level of financial certainty – after more than four years of full-scale war."
