Zelensky welcomes EU's $105 billion loan for Ukraine
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.2 • 7.8K Ratings
🗓️ 19 December 2025
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
European Union leaders strike a deal to give Ukraine a $105 billion loan after failing to agree on using frozen Russian assets. Zelensky welcomes EU backing. Putin tells BBC the West is "making Russia the enemy." Also: TikTok owners sign deal to avoid US ban. We travel down into the deep tunnels in Finland where nuclear waste is to be buried. The Bank of Japan raises its interest rate to its highest level in 30 years -- but it's still less than 1%. A mysterious object from outside our solar system heads to its closest point to Earth. Known as 3i Atlas, it's travelling at more than 200,000 km/h.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the Global News Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | This is the Global News Podcasts from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:13.0 | I'm Pete Ross and at 1600 GMT on Friday the 19th of December, these are our main stories. |
| 0:19.0 | Ukraine's war effort receives a $100 billion boost from the |
| 0:23.0 | European Union. President Putin says Russia is ready to end the conflict in Ukraine, but only on his |
| 0:29.4 | terms. And the Bank of Japan raises its interest rates to its highest level in 30 years. |
| 0:38.5 | Also in this podcast... |
| 0:40.4 | So here we are. |
| 0:43.1 | Come down in a lift and it takes less than a minute to go down into bedrock 400 metres down. |
| 0:50.0 | Inside Finland's deep underground facility where spent nuclear fuel will be locked away for thousands of years. |
| 1:02.0 | We begin with Ukraine, whose President Vladimir Zelensky has welcomed a decision by the European Union to give Kiev a $100 billion loan. He said it would strengthen Ukraine's ability to resist Russia. |
| 1:14.6 | EU politicians made the pledge after talks that went on until the early hours of Friday, |
| 1:19.6 | but they failed to agree on a plan to use frozen Russian assets to back the loan to Ukraine. |
| 1:25.6 | Belgium has always opposed the use of these assets |
| 1:28.4 | on the basis that most are being held in a Brussels-based clearinghouse, |
| 1:33.1 | leaving them legally exposed to any Russian retaliation. |
| 1:36.9 | The European Council President Antonio Costa said the agreement sent a clear message |
| 1:41.2 | that Europe's support for Kiev would not falter. |
| 1:44.6 | As a matter of urgency, we will provide a loan backed by the European Union budget. |
| 1:51.6 | This will address the urgent financial needs of Ukraine. |
| 1:56.9 | And Ukraine will only repay this loan once Russia pays reparations. |
| 2:03.9 | Alexander Moreshko is the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Ukrainian Parliament |
... |
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