Shawdesh DEsk:

Ukraine and the European Union will hold a summit in Kyiv on February 3 to discuss financial and military support, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said in a statement on Monday.

Zelensky discussed details of the high-level meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in his first phone call of the year, the statement said.

‘The parties discussed expected results of the next Ukraine-EU summit to be held on February 3 in Kyiv and agreed to intensify preparatory work,’ the statement read.

The leaders talked about the supply of ‘appropriate’ weapons and a new 18 billion euro ($19 billion) financial assistance programme to Ukraine, with Zelensky pushing for the first tranche to be sent this month, it said.

Last month, the EU cleared the way to giving Ukraine the aid in a so-called ‘megadeal’ that included the adoption of a minimum 15 percent global corporate tax rate.

The move followed an impassioned plea from Zelensky not to let internal disputes within the 27-nation bloc stand in the way of backing Kyiv.