Decisive EU summit begins in Brussels
The German government wants to use assets frozen in the EU for Ukraine. Germany also announces additional winter aid.
Brussels (dpa) - EU heads of state and government are gathering today, Thursday, for an eagerly awaited summit meeting in Brussels. The summit will aim to determine how financial support for Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia, can be secured.
Germany’s Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz supports the proposed use of Russian Central Bank assets that have been frozen in the EU. To date, however, this has been opposed by Belgium, a key player. In his efforts to use Russian state assets frozen in the EU to benefit Ukraine, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has the backing of the majority of Germans. In a poll conducted by opinion research institute YouGov, 58 percent of respondents were in favour of such a move. On the sidelines of the summit, agreement is also to be reached on signing the free trade deal with the four Latin American Mercosur states, which has been negotiated since 1999.
Meanwhile, the German government has announced additional winter aid of 70 million euros for Ukraine. “Immediate aid is crucial to maintaining basic services in Ukraine, especially now in the cold winter months,” Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan told Funke media group newspapers.
