(Brussels) “I said today would be decision time. And we delivered. On all fronts”. Thus, with – perhaps – excessive optimism, Antonio Costa commented on the outcome of the European Council meeting held yesterday in Brussels, which ended late at night. “We have said many times that we will support Ukraine as much as necessary for as long as it takes. Today, we reached three important agreements. First, European Leaders committed to ensure that Ukraine’s financial needs will be covered for the next two years. We have asked the Commission to put forward ‘options’ as soon as possible, so that Ukraine has the resources it needs to continue defending itself and fight for a just and lasting peace in 2026 and 2027, if it’s necessary”.

The President of the European Council went on to say: “Russia should take good note of this: Ukraine will have the financial resources it needs to defend itself against Russia’s aggression in the foreseeable future. Now the technical, legal and financial aspects of Europe’s support need to be worked on, and we will return to this issue in the December European Council”. It is clear to everyone that the war will not end soon, despite the demands and expectations of President Zelenskyy, who was in Brussels yesterday, and the empty promises of Donald Trump. “Second, we adopted the 19th sanctions package, which will increase our pressure on Russia and further damage its war machine”. Sanctions were also promised by the US, triggering Putin’s reaction. “Third, member states agreed to strengthen measures and coordinate actions to disrupt Russia’s shadow fleet. To sum up: we continue to use all means at our disposal to put Ukraine in a position of strength if and when negotiations with Putin start. We hope this moment comes soon. But no matter the circumstances, our message is clear: Europe will not let Ukraine down”. The long-awaited decision on the use of Russian assets to finance Ukraine has once again been postponed, but President Costa glossed over this point – the decision being deferred. Similarly, no one promised additional missiles and soldiers, as requested by Zelenskyy.