Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever agrees to European leaders’ fudged wording.
The summit ended shortly after 10.30 p.m. and now leaders are briefing the hundreds of journalists who have been at the European Council for more than 12 hours. Not for the first time, Ukraine and Russia dominated today’s talks, with Belgium playing hardball on the EU’s plan to use frozen Russian assets for a €140 billion loan for Ukraine.
In the end, the leaders agreed wording that just postponed the decision. A typical EU fudge, in other words. These are the main points from today:
- After drawn-out and complex talks, the country’s leader, Bart De Wever, agreed to language that kicks the issue to December.
- Belgium, which holds most of the assets, fears legal and financial retaliation from Moscow and wants others to share the risk.
- Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told leaders that Kyiv would prioritize domestic and European industry when spending money from the loan — but insisted on being able to buy American if needed.
- Leaders finished their debate on climate and competitiveness without any major blow-ups. Sighs of relief all round.