EU Council chief renews bloc's pledge to back Ukraine 'as long as it takes'

By Nur Asena Erturk and Burc Eruygur

ANKARA, ISTANBUL (AA) - The president of the EU Council on Thursday renewed the bloc's commitment to supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes."

"We are on your side for as long as it takes and whatever it takes. We know that you need more support, more military support, and more financial support," Charles Michel said, speaking to reporters alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the doorstep of an EU Council meeting in Brussels.

He added that Ukraine's destiny and future were "within the EU," hailing "a lot of progress on both sides" on this matter in recent months.

For his part, Zelenskyy said it was important for Kyiv to share its "victory plan" with all leaders that have helped Kyiv since the 2022 beginning of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Expressing his desire to discuss the use of frozen Russian assets and developing a mechanism to acquire these funds "as soon as possible," Zelenskyy said Kyiv needed these assets to fund local military production.

"Winter is coming. For us, it's always dangerous, winter. We did our homework, we did a lot of things. But we need some urgent air defense needs ... That's why I'm here," he added.