KYIV, Dec 17 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Ukraine’s allies on Wednesday 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,” Zelenskiy said in his evening address.
He called on Ukraine’s partners to take a decision on using the nearly $250 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,” Zelenskiy said. He added that Russia was showing with its actions it intended to continue fighting next year.
“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 Wednesday, 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 U.S. proposals for a peace settlement.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; writing by Max Hunder; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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