Ukraine’s Zelensky tells Europe: Use frozen assets to end Russia’s appetite for war
· The Straits TimesSummary
- Zelensky urges allies to support Ukraine, showing Russia that prolonging the war is futile.
- He calls for utilising nearly $250 billion in frozen Russian assets in the EU to support Ukraine.
- Putin stated Russia would seize more Ukrainian land if peace talks fail with Kyiv and Europe.
KYIV - President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukraine’s allies on Dec 17 to secure support for Kyiv and show Russia that continuing its war is “pointless”, ahead of a crucial European Union summit on Moscow’s frozen assets.
“The outcome of these meetings – the outcome for Europe – must be such that Russia feels that its desire to continue fighting next year will be pointless, because Ukraine will have support,” Mr Zelensky said in his evening address.
He called on Ukraine’s partners to take a decision on using the nearly US$250 billion (S$320 billion) of frozen Russian sovereign assets in the European Union, most of it held in Belgium’s Euroclear, to support a loan for Ukraine.
EU governments agreed last week to freeze the assets
for as long as needed instead of voting every six months on extending this status.
Some European leaders have opposed the plan as they fear it opens them up to legal risk.
“We need all our partners to have the courage to see the truth, acknowledge the truth and act accordingly,” Mr Zelensky said.
He added that Russia was showing with its actions it intended to continue fighting in 2026.
“Allies in the United States often say that Russia seems to want to end the war. But Russia is sending completely different rhetoric and signals, including official orders to its army.”
In Moscow on Dec 17, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would take more land in Ukraine by force if Kyiv and European politicians, whom he cast as “young pigs”, did not engage over US proposals for a peace settlement. REUTERS