EU's von der Leyen says profits from Russian assets could be used by July

The European Union could be ready to use the first billion euros of profits on Russian assets for Ukraine as soon as the start of July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.

"I told the leaders that if we are swift now in concluding the proposal, we could disburse the first billion on the first of July. So it depends on us," she said at a news conference at the end of the first day of an EU leaders' summit in Brussels.