The EU is deciding whether to loan tens of billions of euros of Russian money to fund Ukraine's military and economic needs.

A core question for European Union leaders discussing whether to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine is whether the idea is legally sound.

The European Union has imposed sanctions on five businessmen linked to Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft.

The document, "firmly supported by 25 heads of state or government," emphasizes the EU’s commitment to maintaining and intensifying pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine and engage in constructive peace talks.

The EU Council on Thursday imposed sanctions on 41 additional vessels linked to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," aimed at targeting the Kremlin's energy revenues amid its ongoing war in Ukraine. The newly sanctioned vessels will face a ban on access to EU ports and restrictions on a broad range of maritime services, an EU Council statement said.

Europe has failed to “rob” Russia of its frozen assets, President Vladimir Putin has said in the aftermath of a deal to offer Ukraine a massive €90bn interest-free loan.

The European Union has imposed asset freezes totalling hundreds of billions of dollars on at least 31 countries.

European Union sources told RFE/RL that the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss China-Russia ties, including potential evidence that Beijing is sending weapons to Russia.