Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today appealed to the country's international partners to step up their support for Kiev and send a clear signal to Moscow that continuing the war makes no sense. His call was made on the eve of an important European Union summit meeting, which will discuss the issue of frozen Russian assets, Reuters reports, BTA reports.
In his traditional evening video address, Zelensky stressed that the results of the upcoming meetings should show Russia that its intentions to wage hostilities next year are doomed, as Ukraine will have stable support from its allies.
The Ukrainian head of state called on partner countries to decide on using frozen Russian assets worth nearly $250 billion to finance Ukraine. Most of these funds are held in the Belgian securities depository “Euroclear“.
Last week, EU governments agreed to freeze Russia's assets indefinitely, instead of putting the issue to a vote every six months.
However, some European leaders have expressed reservations about such an approach, citing possible legal risks.
Zelensky also said that all of Ukraine's partners must show courage, accept reality and act accordingly. According to him, Moscow's behavior clearly shows its intentions to continue the war next year.
He also noted that although the United States often claims that Russia wants to end the conflict, the Kremlin's statements and actions indicate the opposite and send completely different messages.
Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would forcibly expand its control over Ukrainian territories if Kiev and European leaders do not support peace proposals made by the United States, Reuters added.