An agreement between European Parliament and the European Council said cases would be cut if countries lack 'relevant circumstances, such as indiscriminate violence in the context of an armed conflict.

Ukraine thanked the European Union on Friday for deciding to provide it with 90 billion euros ($105.46 billion) of support over the next two years - even if the bloc failed to agree on an ambitious plan to finance it using frozen Russian assets.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky was in Poland to highlight the important role Kyiv and Warsaw play for the security of Europe. He also thanked EU leaders for agreeing to provide his country with a €90bn (£79bn; $105bn) loan - although approval only came after a fraught, at times heated, summit.

Belgium insists on ironclad guarantees from its EU partners to protect against Russian retaliation before backing a massive loan for Ukraine

After almost four years of war, the International Monetary Fund estimates that Ukraine will need $161 billion in 2026 and 2027. The government in Kyiv is on the verge of bankruptcy, and desperately needs the money by spring.

The tensions arise from a plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s military and economic needs for the next two years. Most of that money is blocked at Euroclear, a Brussels-based financial clearinghouse. Belgium fears that Russia will strike back; in the courts or perhaps by other means.

The European Commission says the European Union is delaying a massive free-trade deal with South American countries after fiery protests by farmers and last-minute opposition by France and Italy.

While most Poles still favor remaining in EU, proportion wanting to leave has grown to nearly a quarter - Anadolu Ajansı