Germany and France want the major Western industrialized nations to provide further billions in aid for Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a Franco-German government meeting near Berlin on Tuesday.
The possibility of using interest income from the frozen assets of the Russian central bank was being examined, he said at Meseberg Palace.
"We want to give Ukraine access to billions in additional funding so that it can reliably provide its defence and thus further increase the security of the whole of Europe," Schnolz said, adding that the aim is to pool and strengthen the efforts of the G7 states and the EU.
His comments came after the finance ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) major Western countries discussed ways to use the interest at talks late last week, though they failed to agree.
Washington recently suggested that the G7 could provide Ukraine with a loan of up to $50 billion that would be secured by the interest income from the frozen Russian central bank funds.
EU states have responded cautiously as the US proposal would also include future interest income, which may not be available depending on future interest rate developments and the way the Ukraine war proceeds.
Brussels decided to channel 90% of the usable interest income already accrued into the EU fund for financing military equipment and training and the remaining 10% is to be used to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine's infrastructure.
