EU leaders agree on Ukraine loan after plan to use Russian assets unravels

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

59% : We committed, we delivered," EU Council President Antonio Costa said in a post on social media.
54% : We safeguarded the principle that Europe respects law, even when it is hard, even when we are under pressure," he said, adding that the EU "delivered a strong political signal.
53% : Still, Mr Costa said that the EU "reserves its right to make use of the immobilized assets to repay this loan."
52% : European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.
41% : Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in Europe and describes himself as a peacemaker, said: "I would not like a European Union in war." "To give money means war." said Mr Orban.
39% : Belgium was rattled last Friday when Russia's Central Bank launched a lawsuit against Euroclear to prevent any loan being provided to Ukraine using its money, which is frozen under EU sanctions slapped on Moscow after its launched its full-scale war in 2022.

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