EU Leaders Discuss Wagner Rebellion in Russia and Support for Ukraine

European Union leaders gathered on Thursday to discuss the recent rebellion in Russia and the EU's role in bolstering Ukraine's security. The recent uprising of the Wagner group in Russia ended shortly after it began. According to Reuters, European leaders attending the summit in Brussels stated that they remain committed to supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters about European support for Ukraine, saying, "We must prepare ourselves that this could continue for a long time." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also joined the EU leaders for a working lunch, and it is expected that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the meeting via video link. The two-day summit is a regular gathering of EU leaders, with various topics including migration, economic security, and relations with China on the agenda, but the main focus is the war in Ukraine. Several EU leaders mentioned that they will keep an eye on Belarus, where the head of the Wagner mercenary group has been exiled. Wagner participated in support of Putin in the war in Ukraine. Documents also indicate that EU leaders will pressure senior officials on Thursday to find legal pathways to use billions of dollars from frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's reconstruction projects. The EU has stated that it has frozen over 200 billion euros of the Russian central bank's assets in response to Moscow's attack on Ukraine last February. An additional 30 billion euros from the assets of Russian oligarchs have also been frozen.