BRUSSELS, December 18. /TASS/. Leaders of the European Union are unlikely to agree on seizing Russia’s frozen assets to finance Kiev due to friction between "irreconcilable camps" within the bloc, Politico reported, citing sources.

European diplomats spent 11 hours negotiating a compromise to salvage the decision on a so-called reparations loan for Kiev, which is scheduled to be approved at the upcoming EU summit, the newspaper said.

Four anonymous EU officials told Politico that the key issue raised during the discussions was a plan to remove Hungary and Slovakia from the joint debt scheme, as both countries oppose providing further aid to Ukraine.

As Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced upon arrival in Brussels on Wednesday evening, the issue of expropriating Russian assets has been taken off the summit agenda. This information has not been confirmed officially. On December 16, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that a decision on the use of the assets under the guise of a reparations loan for Kiev must be taken at the EU summit before Christmas.