The EU countries agree on the EU loan to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, but it does not end there, says Kallas.
The leaders of the EU countries pushing for the 21st sanctions package against Russia.
This is what the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, says on the way to the second day of the informal EU summit in Cyprus.
– We have got the decisions on the EU loan to Ukraine and the 20th sanctions package against Russia in place.
– Now the heads of state and government are pushing for the 21st sanctions package against Russia. It sends a very clear signal to Russia that they cannot hold out longer than us, says Kaja Kallas.
Kallas’ announcement comes after she, together with the heads of state and government of the EU countries, had a working dinner with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, on Thursday.
Here, Zelenskyj could be happy that 90 billion euros are now on their way to Ukraine over the next two years. And that the grip on Russia’s oil exports is tightened with the new sanctions.
But there is a need to do more, says Kaja Kallas.
– Now we have to revisit the previous red lines, which meant that sanctions were blocked. We have to look at what more we can do, she says.
In doing so, Kallas makes it clear that the EU countries will try to build on the momentum that has arisen after the election defeat of Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán.
For a long time, Orbán stood in the way of both the EU loan – and, together with Slovakia, also of the sanctions against Russia.
However, with the election defeat on 12 April to Viktor Orbán, there is hope in Brussels that Europe can stand more united for Ukraine in the future.
/ritzau/
