The EU High Representative Kaja Kallas held a press conference yesterday following a virtual meeting with European Foreign Ministers. The European group of Foreign Ministers followed a regular agenda about Ukraine and discussed new options for sanctions. Ukraine’s budget and the reparations loan were also discussed.
Europe is scrambling to help address Ukraine’s €140 billion budget shortfall for the next two years and the Vice-President Kallas said that this issue must be address quickly. The reparations loan from Russia’s frozen assets is the most ideal and effective option at hand, she said. The EU Commission will also be issuing a new law to confiscate Russian assets and use them to pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Belgium has been blocking the EU’s request to confiscate Russian funds, prompting the EU Commission to find alternative ways how to make use of them. A new law should provide a clear path for their confiscation.
The High Representative also added that the “The notion that Ukraine is losing is flat-out false” and the EU is exploring ways to add more sanctions on Russia to keep up its pressure.
Vice-President Kallas underlined the importance of ensuring that Russia is prevented from invading another country in the future. She noted that Russia has invaded 19 countries over the past 100 years, with some of them being invaded three or even four times, and stressed that all of these invasions were unprovoked. In conclusion, it is Russia, as the clear and only aggressor in this war, that needs to make concessions, while the victim, which is Ukraine, should not be making sacrifices.
Later on today, the European Parliament is expected to vote on an EPP resolution in support of Ukraine and the resolution is expected to pass.
Newsroom
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