Overview

• EU leaders are set to discuss a new plan to use the interest earned on Russian assets frozen in Europe to support Ukraine's defense industry and provide weapons and ammunition.
• The EU is holding around 210 billion euros in Russian central bank assets, with potential profits of up to 3 billion euros each year to be divided among member countries.
• A Czech-led initiative aims to buy hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds from outside the EU to support Ukraine, amid a shortage of ammunition.
• France has criticized Russia's disinformation campaign, including false claims about French troops in Ukraine, as tensions between the two countries escalate.
• Ukraine's survival is at risk, according to the U.S. Defense Secretary, with an ongoing funding impasse in the U.S. Congress threatening additional aid.