Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday called on Ukraine’s allies to pledge support for Kiev and show Russia that continuing its war is ‘useless’, ahead of a crucial European Union summit on Moscow’s frozen assets.
‘The result of these meetings — the result for Europe — must be such that Russia feels that its desire to continue fighting next year will be futile, because Ukraine will have support,’ Zelenskiy said in his evening speech.
He called on Ukraine’s partners to make a decision on whether to use the nearly $250 billion of Russian sovereign assets frozen in the European Union, most of them held in Belgium’s Euroclear, to support a loan to Ukraine.
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EU governments agreed last week to freeze assets for as long as necessary, rather than voting every six months on whether to extend that status. Some European leaders have opposed the plan as they fear it will expose them to legal risks.
“We need all of our partners to have the courage to see the truth, recognize the truth and act on it,” Zelenskiy said. He added that Russia was demonstrating with its actions that it intended to continue fighting next year.
‘Allies in the United States often say that Russia appears to want to end the war. But Russia is sending completely different rhetoric and signals, including official orders to its army.’
In Moscow on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would seize more land in Ukraine by force if Kiev and European politicians did not engage with US proposals for a peace deal.
