European Union leaders have agreed to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion (£79 billion; $105 billion) loan, while failing to reach a decision on using frozen Russian assets worth €210 billion.

The deal comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin told the BBC that Western leaders are “making Russia the enemy.” He made the comments during his year-end press conference.

Most of Moscow’s frozen assets are held in Belgium, which has refused to release the money without guarantees it would be protected if Russia takes legal action.

The EU loan covers about two-thirds of the €135 billion Kyiv is estimated to need over the next two years.

During his annual news conference, Putin blamed Ukraine for starting the war and claimed Kyiv refuses to resolve the conflict peacefully. He also defended Russia’s political system and criticized “fake news” in the West.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Warsaw on Thursday and met Polish President Karol Nawrocki. He said the trip marked a “new and meaningful stage” in relations between the countries and highlighted the importance of cooperation to defend freedom in Europe.

Meanwhile, the UK’s Chief of Defence Staff, Sir Richard Knighton, said Russian claims of rapid advances in eastern Ukraine are “nonsense.” He added that Ukrainian forces continue to fight hard and inflict heavy losses on Russian troops.

The EU loan has drawn mixed reactions in Ukraine. Some citizens welcomed the financial support, while others expressed concern about corruption and doubts that the funds would reach the military or civilians.

Kyiv’s Security Service also claimed its forces struck a Russian “shadow fleet” tanker in the Mediterranean Sea using a drone, targeting vessels used to bypass Western sanctions on Russian oil.

Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic are exempt from paying for the EU loan. Their leaders said their countries would not bear the cost of financing Ukraine’s war.

With inputs from BBC