UK welcomes EU funding agreement for Ukraine

LONDON, ‌Dec 19 (Reuters) - British finance ‍minister Rachel ‌Reeves on Friday welcomed a ⁠decision by ‌European Union leaders to loan 90 billion euros ($105 billion) to Ukraine ⁠to fund its defence against Russia.

"I ​am pleased to see the ‌agreement made ⁠today at the European Council to provide vital financial support ​for Ukraine," she said in a post on X.

"We will work with partners to ​urgently ‍consider options ​to ensure that Ukraine gets the funding it needs."

EU leaders decided to borrow cash to fund Ukraine's defence against Russia ⁠for the next two years rather than use ​frozen Russian assets, sidestepping divisions over an unprecedented plan to finance Kyiv ‌with Russian sovereign cash.

(Reporting by William James; Editing by Alistair Smout)