EU in Disagreement Over Using Profits From Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine

The European Union doubles down on its desire to use Russian assets frozen by the West, but some EU officials suggest it's not as easy as it might seem. ENT's international correspondent Arian Pastar has the latest. >> And we will cover the financial needs of Ukraine for the next two years. The discussion is now on the how. Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula Vanderlain says the EU will definitely cover Ukraine's financial needs which includes defense and economy. The block is working on different ways for that funding. The desired option is still using the profits from Russian assets frozen in the west. Vondane explained how this would work. So this would mean take the cash balances from the immobilized Russian assets, hand them as a loan to Ukraine, and Ukraine has to pay back this loan if if Russia pays back reparations. >> But Belgium, where most of Russia's funds are actually being held, is still against the idea. The country says using Russia's funds could pose a risk to Belgium. Some EU officials are calling on the commission to listen to and respect Belgium's concerns. >> Obviously, there are uh uh uh risks to be addressed and u uh specifically in case of uh Belgium, obviously there needs to be solidarity on those risks needs to be uh shared. >> There are two other options to fund Ukraine's financial needs. One would be for the EU to use headroom in its budget to raise capital and the other option would be an agreement among member states to raise capital by themselves. But Vanderain says using profits from frozen Russian assets would be the best option according to her. Meanwhile, in Romania, NATO members from across Europe are taking part in a joint military exercise. They're testing their ability to come to the defense of countries on NATO's eastern flank. NATO says the exercises are defensive in nature. Romania borders Ukraine, which has been battling a Russian invasion since 2022. And in Russia on Thursday, the Kremlin commenting on statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. After months of failed negotiations, Rubio said that he doesn't believe Russia truly wants peace. Russia is open to resolving the Ukrainian problem through political and diplomatic means. But while the doors to this are closed by the Kiev regime, we continue the special military operation. The spokesman also replied to comments made by Kiev which said that Ukraine stopped talks with Russia. The Kremlin warns that Ukraine's position at possible peace talks will worsen as Russia continues the fighting. Arian Pastar, NTD News.