krainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Brussels on Thursday (December 18) to take part in a European Union summit at which leaders are expected decide whether to use frozen Russian assets to lend billions of euros of cash to Ukraine to keep its war effort afloat.

The EU sees Russia's war as a threat to its own security and wants to keep Ukraine financed and fighting.

The European Commission has proposed using frozen Russian central bank assets that are mostly held in a Belgian clearing house to secure a huge loan to Kyiv. But Belgium is deeply concerned about legal and financial risks, and other states including Italy have also expressed worries.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said she would not leave the summit without agreement on how to finance Ukraine over the next two years.

The stakes are high because without the EU's financial help Ukraine will run out of money in the second quarter of next year and most likely lose the war to Russia, which the EU fears would bring closer the threat of Russian aggression against the bloc.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (DECEMBER 18, 2025) (EUROPEAN UNION - Access all)

1. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY ARRIVING

2. SUMMIT VENUE HALL