A Ukrainian soldier near buildings damaged by a Russian strike in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Dec. 7. EU governments agreed on Friday to freeze Russian sovereign assets for as long as needed.

The European Union agreed on Friday to indefinitely freeze Russian central-bank assets held in Europe, removing a big obstacle to using the cash to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.

The EU wants to keep Ukraine financed and fighting as it sees Russia’s invasion as a threat to its own security. To do so, EU states aim to put to work some of the Russian sovereign assets they immobilized after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A first big step, which EU governments agreed on Friday, is to immobilize €210-billion (about $339-billion) worth of Russian sovereign assets for as long as needed

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