From left, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Council President Charles Michel at a press conference at the EU summit in Brussels, February 9, 2023.
Brussels – The upcoming tenth package of European Union sanctions will affect Russian exports worth ten billion euros (237 billion crowns). It will also include other politicians and military officials as well as the spreaders of Russian war propaganda. This was said today by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, after the meeting of the EU summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. At the same time, she praised the Ukrainian reforms in the effort to join the EU, but according to her, no fixed timetable for enlargement has been set. According to her, the commission is preparing a written assessment of Ukraine's readiness in the fall.
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Photo gallery: President Zelensky's visit to Europe
“We heard about the urgency with which it is necessary to support Ukraine right now… We have to do more,” said the head of the EU executive in response to Zelensky's speech. According to her, the EU and member countries will continue their financial and material support, which has reached 67 billion euros (1.6 trillion CZK) in almost a year since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
In addition, the EU countries want to increase the pressure on Russia with the help of new sanctions, which, according to von der Leyen, the commission should propose “in the next few days”. According to her, the EU will focus on “Putin's propagandists”, which Zelensky himself demanded. It will also expand restrictions on Russian exports and limit the export of technologies that can be used for military purposes. EU countries want to approve the sanctions before the first anniversary of the start of the invasion, which falls on February 24.
Von der Leyen also praised Ukraine's efforts to reform in the fight against corruption and to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and the media. Ukraine received the status of a candidate for EU accession shortly after the start of the war and, according to its head, the commission is preparing a written assessment of its progress so far in the autumn.
“It is necessary to continue. It is important to understand that there is no fixed timetable, the it proceeds according to its merits,” said von der Leyen.
Zelensky emphasized today that it would be very motivating for Ukrainians, including the fighting soldiers, if the EU took the next step in the process and started accession negotiations with Kyiv this year.
Due to concerns about Russia, Ukraine wants a significantly faster accession process compared to other candidates for EU membership, and its politicians are talking about joining in 2026. However, EU politicians emphasize the need to complete reforms and warn against excessive expectations.
