The issue of transferring frozen Russian assets to Ukraine should be resolved at the European Council meeting in December.

This was stated on Thursday evening at a media briefing by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

As the Polish Prime Minister noted, discussions on this issue are still ongoing in the EU. Belgium (whose banks hold the largest amount of frozen Russian funds, including the Central Bank of the Russian Federation), believes that since such a decision has never been made before, it is necessary to prepare well for it.

"Belgium is afraid that it will bear all the responsibility. Therefore, we are trying to convince our Belgian friends that we are ready to build a mechanism of joint European responsibility. Of course, as always, Viktor Orban is against this, as well as against all decisions regarding Ukraine," Tusk said.

He clarified that today it is still too early to say that Belgium and Luxembourg are 100% convinced of the need to transfer frozen Russian funds to Ukraine.

But there is some progress, the Polish Prime Minister noted. According to him, from the point of view of Ukraine and, in fact, the entire European Union and NATO, it is necessary to stop just talking about this topic and there is a chance that this will happen.

The European Council will be held in December, and this should be the final deadline for making a decision: yes or no. And we should also not play with emotions, because Ukraine will not win this war or defend itself against Russia without financial support, Tusk stressed, adding that there are few alternative sources.

The Polish Prime Minister emphasized that it would be better if all countries agreed to this, because it would be fair to take this money from Russia and use it to rebuild Ukraine and finance its defense.

As Ukrinform reported, on Thursday, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever said that his country insists on the adoption of a legal framework and shared responsibility for the use of Russian frozen assets for the benefit of Ukraine, which it does not yet see.

The EU is working on an initiative to unlock 185 billion euros of frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank located in the EU. The proposal for a reparations loan for Ukraine from cash balances from frozen Russian assets is a reliable and legal way to force Russia to pay for the damage caused to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen believes.

"We must increase the pressure on Russia, and that is why I have proposed a reparations loan for Ukraine based on frozen Russian assets. We will not confiscate them, we will take the cash balances to lend to Ukraine. Ukraine will have to repay this loan if Russia pays reparations," von der Leyen said, commenting on the initiative.

At today's European Council meeting in Brussels, EU member state leaders pledged to meet Ukraine's financial needs over the next two years. This includes supporting our country's military and defense efforts.

The next European Council summit will be held in Brussels on December 11-12.