European Council agrees €18bn aid package for Ukraine for 2023

Now it must be approved by the European Parliament, this may happen next week.

The loan provided to Ukraine will have a 10-year grace period, the bulk of the interest costs will be covered by the EU member states, loan guarantees will be provided either by the EU budget or by the member states, the European Council said.

The money will be used, in particular, to restore the country's critical infrastructure in order to "support Ukraine on the path to European integration," the statement says.