Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy to attend EU summit

Estonia has started the construction of five bunkers in a bid to strengthen its defenses against possible Russian attacks, the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments said.

According to the Center, 23 shelters will be built in the coming months, with the total number of bunkers reaching 600 by the end of 2027.

The bunkers are meant to protect soldiers from being hit by 152-millimeter shells.

Soon after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a group of teenage resistance fighters called Pugachi formed in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region.

Their leader was just 16 years old at the time.

He told DW his story.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine's allies should show Russia that its war against Kyiv is "pointless."

This comes ahead of the EU summit in Brussels, at which the European Union could decide on using Moscow's frozen assets for providing aid to Ukraine.

"The outcome of these meetings — the outcome for Europe — must be such that Russia feels that its desire to continue fighting next year will be pointless, because Ukraine will have support," Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president said Russia was getting ready for another year of fighting rather than showing intent to end the war, as claimed by the United States.

The British government is threatening Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich with legal action unless he donates billions from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to victims of the war in Ukraine.

Read more about the ultimatum.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on the European Union to use frozen Russian assets to assist Ukraine, "increase pressure on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin" and "send a clear signal to Russia."

Ahead of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, the European Commission has proposed a €90 billion ($106 billion) loan to Ukraine to sure up the country's finances for the next two years — money which is to be taken from €200 billion worth of Russian assets frozen in the bloc.

"This issue is about no more and no less than the security and sovereignty of Europe," said Merz in the lower house of Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, on Wednesday. He said it must be made clear to Putin that a continuation of his invasion of Ukraine is "pointless" and that he should engage in "serious negotiations."

"We intend to use Russian assets to finance the Armed Forces of Ukraine for at least two more years. This step is not about prolonging the war, but about bringing the war to an end as soon as possible," Merz wrote late on X.

However, Merz and the European Commission have hurdles to overcome within the EU where the more pro-Russian leaders of Hungary and Slovakia have already said they would vote against such a plan.

Belgium, where around €185 billion worth of Russian assets are frozen with financial services provider Euroclear, has also expressed concern regarding its own liability should Moscow take legal action against the use of its assets.

On Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned that the legal situation is "anything but simple."

"Italy obviously considers the principle that Russia should be the first to pay for the reconstruction of the nation it has attacked to be sacrosanct, but this result must be achieved on a solid legal basis," she told the Italian parliament. "If the legal foundation for this initiative isn't solid, we would be handing Russia its first real victory since the start of this conflict."

Also on Wednesday, the AFP news agency reported that the United States has been putting pressure on European countries to oppose the plan.

"The US administration is pressuring European countries to abandon the idea of using Russian assets to support Ukraine," a senior Ukrainian official was quoted as saying, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected in Brussels on Thursday where he wants to "motivate European countries to adopt this decision."

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that his country's army will look to secure more territorial gains should Ukraine and its allies reject Moscow's demands in the talks over peace between the two countries.

According to Putin, Russia would look to "eliminate the root causes of the conflict" using diplomacy, but if Kyiv and the countries that support it would "refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means."

Putin also criticized European leaders' statement about Moscow's alleged plans to attack other European nations as "lies and sheer nonsense."

France's Interior Ministry said the country is looking into potential foreign interference due to malware that was found on a passenger ferry.

The malware could allow a ferry called Fantastic, which has the capacity of some 2,000 people, to be remotely controlled.

One person, a Latvian national, was arrested and charged in connection to the malware.

Fantastic docked in the France's Mediterranean port of Sete and is owned by Italian shipping company GNV.

While French authorities refrained from explicitly mentioning Russia as being behind the malware, European governments have pointed out that the country is looking to harm Ukraine's allies through interference. 

Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the European Union's plan to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine would "put Belgium in serious danger."

Orban, who is known to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said any such move would be against international law, and that the Russian leader said there would be a determined response using all legal means.

"Any legal dispute would be lost, and ultimately someone would have to repay the confiscated assets," he said.

Orban said his country will not vote in favor of such a move. 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, according to an EU official.

One of the points expected to be discussed at the summit will be the use of frozen Russian state assets to support Kyiv in the war against Russia.

Several leading EU politicians support the move, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in Brussels for the European Union (EU) summit on Thursday, which is expected to be decisive for the use of frozen Russian state assets for Kyiv.

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, known to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, warned the EUthat such a move would put Brussels in "serious danger."

Follow us as we follow all the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine.