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Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington insisted the meeting ‘only covered national security related issues’
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The European Union on Friday decided to indefinitely freeze €210bn worth of Russia’s assets, so that Hungary and Slovakia, two countries with friendly relations with Moscow, cannot prevent billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine.
Hungary and Slovakia have opposed providing more support to Ukraine in the past, but today’s decision prevents them from blocking the sanctions rollover and makes it easier to use the assets.
The move also stops the assets, estimated to total around 210 billion euros ($247 billion), from being used in any negotiations to end the war without European approval.
EU Council President António Costa said European leaders had committed in October “to keep Russian assets immobilised until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused. Today we delivered on that commitment.”
A 28-point plan drafted by US and Russian envoys stipulated that the EU would release the frozen assets for use by Ukraine, Russia and the United States. That plan, which surfaced last month, was rejected by Ukraine and its backers in Europe.
Ukrainian drones have struck two Russian oil rigs in the Caspian Sea, according to a UkrainianSecurity Service official on Friday.
The SBU drones reportedly hit the Filanovsky and Korchagin oil rigs, which both belong to Russia’s Lukoil LKOH.MM.
Earlier this week, part of Russia’s largest Caspian oil field, the Filanovsky rig came under attack. This was the first attack during the war as Ukraine escalates its efforts to disrupt Russian oil and gas output.
The drones damaged critical equipment and suspended production, according to preliminary information from the source.
Turkey called for an urgent end to the nearly four-year long war between Russia and Ukraine after a Turkish-owned cargo vessel was damaged in an attack on Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port. They said the incident posed risks to the Black Sea maritime security.
The country’s capital, Ankara, called for a suspension of attack targeting navigation safety “to prevent escalation” in the region.
Cenk Denizcilik, operator of the roll-on/roll-off vessel M/V CENK T, said the ship, carrying food supplies, was hit by an air attack shortly after berthing at around 1600 local time, igniting a fire in its forward section.
Ukraine, the US and Europe are still looking to iron out the details of a peace deal which will include guarantees for Kyiv, to take to Russia, according to a French presidency official on Friday.
“Our goal is to have a common foundation that is solid for negotiation. This common ground must unite Ukrainians, Americans and Europeans,” the official told reporters in a briefing.
“It should allow us, together, to make a negotiating offer, a solid, lasting peace offer that respects international law and Ukraine’s sovereign interests, an offer that American negotiators are willing to bring to the Russians.”
No joint document has been signed yet but negotiations will continue in the coming days.
Currently Kyiv is under pressure from the Trump administration to accept a quick peace, but Ukraine is pushing back on giving up swathes of territory to Moscow or abandoning its ambition to become a part of NATO.
The Russian army has swollen to a mammoth 1.32 million active personnel over the course of the war, despite sustaining heavy losses on the battlefield. That figure eclipses any standing army on the continent.
War has allowed Putin to legislate for three expansions of his army since 2022. He aims to build the second biggest army in the world, after China, with a regular army of 1.5 million, up to 2.38 million including reserves.
Together, Nato can field 3.14 million active personnel and 2.75 million reserves, totalling 5.89 million personnel.
The bloc has more than 14,000 tanks and around 21,000 aircraft.
Russia can currently draw on around 2 million reserves, totalling around 3.32 million. It has some 12,000 tanks and nearly 4,500 aircraft. Both sides have nuclear weapons.
Belgian PM Bart De Wever said “we and the UK will work together” to “get the certainty that Ukraine will stay free” while on a visit to Downing Street on Friday.
The Belgian prime minister said: “Our relationship with the UK is much older than the European Union. It goes back to the Middle Ages.
“You have always been our ally, always been our friend. There’s never been an English soldier in an unfriendly manner on our soil.”
The European Union on Friday decided to indefinitely freeze Russia’s assets, so that Hungary and Slovakia, two countries with friendly relations with Moscow, can’t prevent billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine.
A special procedure, usually reserved for economic emergencies, was used to block the Russian assets until Russia gives up on the four-year war against Ukraine and compensates its neighbour for damage.
EU Council President António Costa said European leaders had committed in October “to keep Russian assets immobilized until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused. Today we delivered on that commitment.”
The move also stops the assets, estimated to total around 210 billion euros ($247 billion), from being used in any negotiations to end the war without European approval.
A 28-point plan drafted by U.S. and Russian envoys stipulated that the EU would release the frozen assets for use by Ukraine, Russia and the United States. That plan, which surfaced last month, was rejected by Ukraine and its backers in Europe.
Hungary and Slovakia oppose providing more support to Ukraine, but Friday’s decision prevents them from blocking the sanctions rollover and make it easier to use the assets.
Europe has floated an unprecedented use of frozen Russian assets to raise some £80bn for Ukraine to cover its struggling military and put pressure on Putin to end the war.
The money would support military costs and help cover basic services crippled by nearly four years of conflict.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, estimated the loan would cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s funding needs for the next two years. Other partners could cover the rest, she said.
Britain also holds about £25bn of frozen Russian assets and is looking to coordinate with EU states to tap the assets. Some €290bn (£250bn) were frozen in the West after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
My colleague James C. Reynolds has more details below.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top representative Rustem Umerov held secret talks with FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino according to the Washington Post.
Officials worry that Ukrainian representatives could be seeking an amnesty from corruption allegations, while others are suspicious the discussions could be used to exert pressure on Ukraine to accept a peace deal.
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington, confirmed Umerov’s meeting with the FBI, telling the publication he “only covered national security related issues” that could not be publicly disclosed.
An FBI official said the discussion focused on shared law enforcement and national security and white collar corruption was not the main focus despite it being mentioned and called other theories as to the purpose of the meeting “complete nonsense”.
A White House official said: “U.S. officials regularly communicate with world leaders about national security issues of shared interest.”
They added that those concerned “are not privy to these diplomatic conversations and have no idea what they are talking about.”
A representative of Zelensky’s office declined to comment on specific meetings but said “it is stupid to link everything to ‘corruption.’”
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