Heads of state and government will gather for a summit in Brussels on December 18. In an invitation sent to the leaders of the Twenty-Seven on Tuesday, Costa announced that the meeting would begin with a conversation with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
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When will the Brussels summit take place?
What does the European Commission propose for Ukraine?
Why does Belgium oppose the EC's proposal?
How many years should Ukraine's financing cover?
In the letter, the head of the European Council recalled that at the summit in October, leaders committed to meeting Ukraine's urgent financial needs in 2026-2027. Although EU summits in previous years usually lasted two days, the Portuguese usually shortens them to one day after taking over as president of the European Council. This time, however, it may be different.
“I think we are very close to finding a solution and that we will make a decision on December 18,” Costa repeated on Tuesday at a press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin. However, he added, if necessary, leaders will continue on December 19 or even 20 – “until a positive solution is reached.”
Will Ukraine get a raise from the European Union?
The European Commission last week presented a legislative proposal to establish a reparations loan for Ukraine using frozen Russian assets. The proposal was rejected by Belgium, home to the Euroclear clearing house that holds most of Russian deposits. Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever believes that the EC did not sufficiently protect his country's interests in the event of the need to return the money.
However, the EC wants the reparation loan to be established by a regulation that will require the consent of a qualified majority (15 countries constituting at least 65% of the population), and not unanimity among the capitals. Belgium will therefore not be able to veto this solution if it maintains its opposition.
