Addressing the EU special summit in Brussels by video link, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on its participants to unite in creating a fund to support Ukraine under the European Peace Fund.
"Today, we need your unity to create the Ukraine Assistance Fund within our European Peace Fund. This is the kind of reliable and long-term support which is currently required in order to counter relevant challenges. At least €5 billion a year, for four years. A clear priority," Zelenskyy said.
He noted that Europe now needs to demonstrate its reliability and effectiveness of its decisions, because Russia now has another ally - North Korea, which supplies Moscow with artillery shells and ballistic missiles.
"They are already hitting our cities - in addition to the Iranian Shaheds, who are destroying our civilian infrastructure. Intelligence confirms that Russia will receive a million artillery shells from Pyongyang," the president said.
He also noted that the implementation of the European plan to supply one million artillery shells to Ukraine is being delayed.