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Hello and welcome to News Air from the BBC World Service.
We're coming to you live from London.
I'm James Menendez.
In a moment, the latest on those key talks on keeping Ukraine solvent.
That's our top story today.
Later in the programme,
the funerals have been held today of more victims from Sunday's mass shooting in Sydney.
We'll be hearing from Lena Chernick,
whose niece Matilda was the youngest person to die in the attack on a Hanukkah celebration.
People like angry and people like wanna done more and I wanna be done more but I don't wanna put anger I don't wanna like
because it's a little kid I wanna people like have not put anger in their heart they put seed of happiness take and put happiness for everyone especially for people who have kids More from Australia in half an hour But we are going to begin today in Brussels,
because it is crunch time for European Union leaders who have been arguing for months over whether to use billions of dollars of frozen Russian assets to help keep Ukraine afloat.
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said leaders wouldn't leave their summit without reaching some sort of agreement.
We have one ultimate goal in this European Council and that is peace for Ukraine.
Peaceful strength and for that Ukraine needs to have a secure funding for the next two years the year 26 and 27 Addressing the meeting the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned of Russia's continuing military build-up Russia has allocated 160 billion for the war next year do our partners understand the radical mood in Russia and this spit in the face of all the world from Putin for peace proposals for the desire to end this war.
He went on to stress the urgency of a deal on further EU support for Ukraine.
Either our partners give us licenses or missiles or they help us with money and then we procure it on our own.
There is no other way.