ALBAWABA - Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council, declared on Sunday that Ukraine would continue to receive military, economic, and humanitarian aid, with an extra €4.2 billion ($4.4 billion) going toward the Ukrainian budget.
Costa, who recently took office, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press conference during his first visit to Kyiv. Costa reaffirmed that Ukraine is a member of the European family and expressed his desire to see Ukraine join the EU.
Similar to his predecessor, Charles Michel, he Costa stated that Ukraine's sovereignty must be respected, and Russian nuclear threats will not be permitted.
"This month, the European Union will provide Ukraine with an additional 4.2 billion euros to support the Ukrainian budget," he said.
"On top of this, starting next month, we plan to provide, for a full year, every month, 1.5 billion euros of assistance. This money comes from the proceeds of Russia’s frozen assets and can also be used for military purposes," he added.
Costa also said that the EU is preparing its 15th round of sanctions against Russia. He added that the EU and Ukraine will collaborate to begin at least two chapters in negotiations for Ukraine's European membership in the first half of next year.
President Zelenskyy stated that EU financial assistance will significantly improve Ukraine's fiscal stability. He also addressed the utilization of Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine.
