The European Union will deliver an additional $36.28 billion of financial support to Ukraine in 2025, EU's Council President Antonio Costa said Thursday after meeting with EU leaders in Brussels.
"Only Ukraine as the aggressed country can legitimately define what peace means — and if and when the conditions are met for credible negotiations," Costa said. "So now is not the time to speculate about different scenarios — now is the time to strengthen Ukraine for all scenarios."
The leaders emphasized the need to intensify the transfer of air defense and missiles to Ukraine.
"To help Ukraine to defend itself effectively against Russia’s aggression, the European Council calls for the urgent stepping up of efforts, in particular on the delivery of air defense systems, ammunition, and missiles, as well as on the provision of necessary training and equipment for Ukrainian brigades," according to a statement released by the European Council on Ukraine.
The president of the European Commission said the EU has already provided Ukraine with nearly $135 billion in aid.
"[W]e have ensured both economic and financial stability until 2025. This is good news. With the fund for Ukraine and the G7 loan, we cover Ukraine's budget deficit for 2025. This will allow Ukraine to have more financial resources to purchase weapons," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels.
In his plea for more aid, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the summit that Russian President Vladimir Putin lives "in his own bubble" for proffering his vision for an agreement to end the war.
"He simply suggested that Ukraine surrender, freeze the conflict, change the direction of progress neither toward Europe nor NATO but toward the Russian federation so that they would rule our state, deprive us of independence, and this person calls this some kind of agreement? He’s just an old pipe dreamer. Well really he lives in a different world, in his own bubble," Zelenskyy said.
Newsmax contributed to this report.
© 2024 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.