EU to lock up Russian assets so Hungary and Slovakia can’t block use for Ukraine

Ukrainian troops (Gareth Fuller/PA)

The European Union is expected to lock up Russia’s assets held in Europe until it ends its war in Ukraine and compensates its neighbour for the damage it has inflicted for almost four years

The move would allow EU leaders to work out at a summit next week how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years.