Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiga expressed hope that the latest package of sanctions from the European Union against the Russian Federation will significantly limit the funding of the aggressor country’s military budget. He made this statement following talks with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaia Kallas.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Expectations for Strengthening Sanctions Against Russia
According to Sybiga, the main focus during the meeting was on the EU’s next steps to increase sanctions pressure. He emphasized that Ukraine expects decisive actions that will have a real impact on Russia’s ability to finance its war against Ukraine.
“It was a good meeting with Kaia Kallas. We discussed the next steps for the EU to strengthen sanctions pressure on Russia. We expect them to be truly strong and to harm Putin’s military budget,” the minister wrote.
Prospects for Ukraine’s EU Membership and Support from Europe
In addition to the issue of sanctions, the topic of Ukraine’s Euro-integration was raised. Andrii Sybiga stressed that Ukraine has met all the conditions for opening the first cluster of negotiations regarding EU membership. He noted that blocking this process by certain countries is unacceptable for the Ukrainian side and thanked Kaia Kallas for her leadership and support, particularly in the defense sector.
In a media comment, Kaia Kallas stated that the upcoming European Council summit is expected to discuss further restrictions on the price of Russian oil. She pointed out that a number of allies around the world understand the importance of preventing Russia from making excessive profits from oil exports, which allow it to finance the war against Ukraine, especially in light of the situation in the Middle East.
Kallas also commented on the issue of assistance to Ukraine, noting that the EU is trying to increase support, but cannot fully compensate for the volumes previously provided by the United States.
Regarding the prospects of the negotiation process for Ukraine’s EU membership, Kaia Kallas confirmed that the European Union insists on opening the relevant negotiation chapters and clusters during the summit in Brussels.