Poland's PM meets with Ukrainian President on sidelines of EU summit
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while attending an informal EU summit in Brussels aimed at finding ways of using Russian central bank assets the EU froze after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
After Zelensky attended a meeting with EU heads of state and governments, both politicians held a one-on-one conversation, a photo of which the Polish Prime Minister's Office posted later on X.
"We have discussed joint defence projects and the SAFE mechanism [the EU's financial instrument for funding investments in defence - PAP ed.] with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk," Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Thursday afternoon, adding that they also spoke about military aid for Ukraine.
"Our country is interested in Polish companies investing in the Ukrainian defence industry," Zelensky wrote, thanking Tusk for a "good conversation" and stressing the need for further cooperation to strengthen the security of both countries.
EU leaders convened on Thursday to discuss ways to use the frozen Russian central bank's assets held in the bloc, the total value of which is estimated at EUR 200 billion.
A large portion of the funds, EUR 185 billion, is managed by Euroclear, a financial institution headquartered in Belgium. The country's authorities are concerned that any potential utilisation of those assets would trigger legal action by Russia.
The European Commission has proposed that the frozen Russian assets could help finance support for Ukraine fighting Russian aggression.
The EU summit is taking place shortly after the bloc adopted the 19th package of sanctions on Russia, including a ban on imports of Russian LNG, and after the US announced it was sanctioning the country's oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, limiting Russia's ability to finance its war effort.
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