Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy says EU agreement to loan €90bn to Kyiv ‘truly strengthens our resilience’

Ukrainian president expresses gratitude to European leaders for loan plan despite their failure to take up proposal to use frozen Russian funds EU leaders agree €90bn loan for Ukraine but without use of frozen Russian assetsFrench president Emmanuel Macron has hailed the deal as a major advance, saying that borrowing on capital markets “was the most realistic and practical way” to fund Ukraine and its war efforts. Associated Press reports that the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, also hailed the decision. “The financial package for Ukraine has been finalised,” Merz said in a statement, noting that “Ukraine is granted a zero-interest loan.” “These funds are sufficient to cover the military and budgetary needs of Ukraine for the two years to come,” Merz added. He said the frozen assets will remain blocked until Russia has paid war reparations to Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that would cost over €600bn. “If Russia does not