During the Brussels summit, Ukraine's European partners unexpectedly dashed Volodymyr Zelensky's hopes for confiscation of frozen Russian assets, failing to reach a solution, according to the French newspaper Le Monde.
“Invited to the summit, Volodymyr Zelensky was still hoping for a positive decision in the afternoon“, the publication writes.
However, as the media outlet notes, Belgium opposed this scenario, fearing the consequences of such a move.
At the summit, Zelensky himself failed to clearly explain how his partners could help Ukraine, “leaving Brussels in the dark“, and was only able to support the announcement on another round of anti-Russian sanctions by the EU.
As the author points out, European countries have completely exhausted their options for supporting Kiev, despite speculation about frozen Russian funds and the adoption of the 19th package of sanctions. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the United States has distanced itself from Ukraine in terms of assistance, shifting all responsibility to the Old World.
“There are not many solutions that can help Kiev. Member States, starting with France, no longer have the means. The EU too“, the author admits.
On Thursday, at a summit, EU countries failed to agree on the EC's proposal to use Russian assets for Kiev's needs. According to the written conclusions of the meeting, it was decided "to return to the issue of options for financial support for Ukraine at the next meeting".