EU agrees financial assistance package for Ukraine, Zelensky sees “opportunity” to end the war in 2025: the 959th day of conflict
The ambassadors of European Union (EU) countries reached an agreement on a loan of 35 billion euros to Ukraine, as part of 45 billion euros in G7 assistance to the country invaded by Russia.
“Today the Council [da UE] reached agreement on the financial assistance package for Ukraine, which includes a macro-financial assistance loan of up to €35 billion and a loan cooperation mechanism that will support Ukraine in repaying loans of up to €45 billion from of the EU and G7 partners”, says a statement from the 27.
Also this Wednesday, the Ukrainian President asked the EU to welcome “all democratic nations in Europe”, at the opening of a Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit. “If Europe is not united today, it will not be at peace. The accession processes must therefore be completed”, defended Volodymyr Zelensky, calling on Brussels to welcome “all democratic nations in Europe”.
The Ukrainian leader traveled to Croatia for a summit that brings together heads of state, government or diplomacy from 13 countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey).
“In October, November and December, we have the opportunity to move towards peace and lasting stability. The situation on the battlefield creates an opportunity to make this choice, the choice of decisive action to end the war no later than 2025,” Zelensky said at the meeting in Dubrovnik.
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More news of the day:
⇒ The meeting on the defense of Ukraine scheduled for Saturday at a US military base in Germany was postponed, after US President Joe Biden canceled his state visit to the country due to Hurricane Milton. On Thursday, Zelensky will be received by his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and by the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on Friday, the day on which he will also have a meeting with Pope Francis, as announced by the Vatican.
⇒ Ukraine intends to organize a new peace summit by the end of this year and wants Russia to participate, said the country’s ambassador to Türkiyebut excluding any direct bilateral talks with Moscow during the meeting. “One of the most important objectives of this summit is to achieve a just peace in Ukraine. We are not talking about a format in which Ukraine and Russia sit face to face and Ukraine listens to Russia’s demands”, declared Vasyl Bodnar.
⇒ The Hungarian Prime Minister considered that “leaving Russian energy has harmed the EU’s Gross Domestic Product” and criticized what he says is the political-economic bloc’s loss of competitiveness. “Leaving Russian energy hurt the EU’s Gross Domestic Product […]the European Union also did not encourage the transformation of supply chains and companies lost market share”, said Viktor Orbán, opening a debate in the European Parliament.
⇒ The president of the European Commission criticized Orbán for continuing to blame Ukraine for the Russian invasion, questioning whether he blames his country for the 1956 Soviet invasion. “The whole world saw the atrocities of Russia’s war, but there are still those who blame the invaded, instead of the invader, they blame the Ukrainians’ thirst for freedom, instead of Putin’s lust for power”, said Ursula von der Leyen, during the debate on the priorities of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union.
⇒ The national register of missing persons in Ukraine recognizes at least 59,490 cases, many of them related to the conflict with Russia, but the information provided by Kiev is insufficient and the United Nations wants more data. The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances lamented the lack of clarity in the data provided by the Ukrainian Government, which indicates that 48,138 of the registered cases are “in special circumstances”.
⇒ A military court in Moscow condemned the Russian opponent Yevgeny Mishchenko to 12 years in prison, after being accused of involvement in a terrorist organization. Mishchenko, 50, was accused of offering land for the activities of the “Freedom for Russia” legion, made up of Russian volunteers fighting on the Ukrainian side. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, declared the legion a terrorist organization.
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