The make-or-break summit that called on European Union leaders to find €90 billion to support Ukraine's fight against Russia ended in an unexpected compromise: joint debt.
After long hours discussing the pros and cons of the reparations loan, based on the immobilised Russian assets, leaders agreed the cons outweighed the pros and chose to raise the money through the tried-and-tested method of common borrowing.
The compromise means the reparations loan, an audacious proposal without precedent in modern history, will remain a theoretical concept for the time being.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, the chief opponent of the project, celebrated that leaders, upon facing reality, had opted for "chartered waters".
"Europe has won, and financial stability has certainly won. We avoided chaos, we avoided division. Europe stays united. A unity today means that Europe remains relevant at the geopolitical table," De Wever said at the end of the meeting.
Read our live blog to understand what happened.
