BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) – The European Union will pay Kyiv 1.5 billion euros a month in 2023 to help lead Ukraine in its fight against invading Russian troops, the head of the EU said on Friday. the block executive.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke after the EU’s 27 national leaders discussed support for Ukraine on a second day of their summit in Brussels on Friday, the 240th day of Russia’s war against its neighbour.
She said the EU had so far given 19 billion euros to Ukraine this year, but the summit was looking at 2023.
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“It’s very important for Ukraine to have a predictable and stable revenue stream,” she said, adding that Kyiv estimated its monthly needs at 3-4 billion euros “for the most part.”
Sporting a pin in Ukrainian yellow and blue, von der Leyen told a press conference that the EU would fund 1.5 billion euros per month, with the rest to come from the United States and international institutions. .
“This will give a total of 18 billion for next year – an amount on which Ukraine can count and where there is a stable, reliable and predictable flow of income.”
“PURE TERRORISM”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed EU leaders via video link the day before, saying Russian missiles and Iranian drones had damaged a third of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as the EU approached. ‘winter.
“Russia is also causing a new wave of migration of Ukrainians to EU countries,” Zelenskiy said.
“The Russian terror against our energy installations aims to create as many electricity and heat problems as possible for Ukraine this fall and winter so that as many Ukrainians as possible settle in your countries.”
Von der Leyen said the EU was also considering how to help Ukraine restore water, electricity and electricity supplies.
Zelenskiy asked the EU for air and missile defense systems, as well as “powerful new sanctions” against Russia as well as Iran for supplying drones for use in Moscow’s war.
The bloc has already imposed limited sanctions on Iran over the matter, but EU member states are divided on imposing new sanctions on Russia now.
Poland and the three Baltic states have proposed banning imports of Russian diamonds from Russia and slashing the steel trade more quickly, but Belgium and Italy are among those opposing those moves. measures.
Hungary is against sanctions against Russia in general, while Germany and France have said the current measures already go a long way.
Zelenskiy urged the West to warn Russia not to blow up a huge dam that could flood large areas of southern Ukraine, and he called for more aid pledges at an international conference in Berlin next Tuesday devoted to the reconstruction of Ukraine.
The chairman of the summit, European Council President Charles Michel, said the EU was considering using Russian assets frozen under sanctions against Moscow to rebuild Ukraine.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said it amounted to some 300 billion euros, although Berlin and others warned that seizing the assets could be illegal.
Kallas also sided with Lithuania in pushing for the establishment of a special international tribunal to try possible war crimes committed in Ukraine, something the Netherlands expressed caution about.
“It’s pure terrorism,” Kallas said of Russia’s war.
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Written by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by John Chalmers and Hugh Lawson
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