2025-10-20 17:43
publication
2025-10-20 17:43
The proposal to finance a reparations loan for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets has gained wide support among EU foreign ministers, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on Monday. In her opinion, there may be a breakthrough in this case this week.
At the press conference after the meeting of EU foreign ministers, Kallas also referred to Ukraine's potential territorial concessions to Russia, including the return of Donbas. According to the British daily Financial Times, US President Donald Trump allegedly encouraged his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to do so during a meeting on Friday in Washington. The American leader denied this.
Kallas emphasized that Russia is the aggressor and therefore putting pressure on Ukraine as the victim is not the right approach.
– If we give in and Russia gets what it wants, we will see more events of this type. We have seen this many times in history, said the EU High Representative for Foreign and Defense Affairs. – That is why our approach is clear: we want to help Ukraine defend itself and put pressure on Russia to end this war – she noted.
– We cannot forget that Russia is the aggressor here and Ukraine is the victim. Therefore, putting pressure on Ukraine as a victim is not the right approach: not only for Ukraine, but also for European and global security. Because if aggression pays off, it will be an incentive to use it elsewhere, she said.
When asked whether Trump was a reliable partner for Europe in talks on peace in Ukraine, she replied that the American leader wanted him. – I think President Trump is sincere in wanting to end this war. This is clear. We also want to end this war and Ukrainians want to end this war. It is Russia that does not want to end this war. We should not be deceived, said the head of EU diplomacy.
Kallas said that the proposal to finance a reparations loan for Ukraine from frozen Russian assets had gained wide support among EU foreign ministers at their meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
– Ministers today discussed the European Commission's proposal to use frozen Russian assets to meet Ukraine's urgent defense needs. There is widespread support for this solution today. It is crucial that we make progress on legal and fiscal issues this week, she emphasized.
– Ukraine needs more military, but also financial support, she said.
This is a loan that would be granted to Ukraine from the frozen assets of the Russian central bank. The EU would obtain funds from the clearing house Euroclear, which is based in Belgium and where most Russian assets are frozen. The money would go to Ukraine in the form of an EU loan, which Kiev would repay only after the end of the Russian invasion and obtaining reparations from Russia.
The issue of using Russian assets will be discussed by the leaders of member states at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Kallas added that the EU may also adopt the 19th package of sanctions against Russia this week.
This package, proposed by the European Commission in mid-September, provides for the introduction of a ban on imports of Russian liquefied gas to the EU from 2027. It also included a ban on financial transactions for Rosneft and Gazprom Neft and restrictions on subsequent ships from the so-called Russian shadow fleet. For the package to enter into force, unanimous consent of the EU-27 is required.
From Luxembourg Magdalena Cedro (PAP)
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