EU leaders are meeting in Brussels on Thursday (December 18, 2025) for a highly anticipated summit to discuss financial support for Ukraine, which continues to face Russian aggression.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is pushing for the use of frozen Russian central bank assets within the EU to benefit Ukraine. Belgium, which holds a significant portion of these funds, currently opposes the proposal. A YouGov poll revealed that 58% of Germans support using frozen Russian state assets for Ukraine.
On the sidelines of the summit, an agreement is expected on the long-negotiated free trade deal with the four Mercosur countries in Latin America, talks that have been ongoing since 1999.
Meanwhile, the German government announced an additional €70 million in winter aid for Ukraine. Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan told the Funke media group that “urgent assistance is crucial, especially in the freezing winter, to maintain essential services in Ukraine.”
Sources - Agencies
