Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv urges EU to impose more sanctions

Some of the top officials of the European Union visited Ukraine this week in another show of solidarity with Ukraine as the war continues. Kyiv has since urged the bloc to increase its sanctions on Russia.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and a delegation of EU officials visited Kyiv on Thursday, pledging more military, financial, and political assistance to Ukraine ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion on February 24. Von der Leyen met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shortly after arriving in Kyiv, as both leaders are set to hold a summit on Friday with EU chair Charles Michel.

“Europe has been by Ukraine’s side since day one because we know the future of our continent is being written here…this is a fight of democracies against authoritarian regimes,” von der Leyen told a news conference in Kyiv.

Despite continued pledges for military assistance to Ukraine by the West, the EU has been reluctant to immediately accept Ukraine into the bloc, indicating the need to implement more anti-corruption measures.

“Today, we are proposing to Ukraine to join key European programs – this will give Ukraine benefits close to those of membership in many areas,” said the EU commission chief, but did not disclose specific dates.

Zelenskyy said that a 10th round of sanctions against Russia was discussed during the meeting with von der Leyen, adding that the pacing of Europe’s sanctions on Russia has slowed down, while Moscow has increasingly adapted to the sanctions that were imposed.

Despite the unprecedented number of sanctions the EU has imposed on Russia, there are still business ties among its countries that have yet to be targeted, such as Belgium’s diamond trade with Moscow. Kyiv has called for the bloc to sanction Russia’s nuclear sector, but EU member Hungary has said it will veto such sanction.

On Friday, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine’s allies are pushing for the International Monetary Fund to approve the plans for a multibillion-dollar lending program. This comes as officials from the IMF are expected to visit Ukraine in mid-February to advance the discussions over a loan that could be from $14 billion to $16 billion, according to officials familiar with the matter.