The representation of the European Union in Kyiv will also reopen on Friday after six weeks.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was the first Western top politician to get an idea of the situation after war crimes became known in the Kiev suburb of Bucha. Among other things, the German politician looked at 20 exhumed bodies from a mass grave there on Friday and lit candles in a church for the victims of the atrocities. After the withdrawal of Russian troops from Bucha, a massacre of civilians became known over the weekend.
The German politician had previously reached the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with her delegation on Friday afternoon after a long train journey. There she wanted to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, among others. The trip was a “clear sign of support for the Ukrainians,” von der Leyen said on the way to Kyiv. The country urgently needs help.
Fifth package of sanctions adopted
In response to the massacre, von der Leyen proposed a fifth package of sanctions against Russia, which has now been approved by the EU states. Among other things, it contains an import ban on coal from Russia, but also further restrictions on trade with Russia and an extensive entry ban for ships flying the Russian flag in EU ports. However, Ukrainian President Zelenskyj immediately called for tougher measures.
Von der Leyen is accompanied by a delegation that also includes EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger and several EU parliamentarians. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has also announced a visit to Kyiv for the next few days. “This trip is a clear sign of support for the Ukrainians,” von der Leyen said on the way to Kyiv.
Late on Thursday evening, von der Leyen left with a special train in the small town of Przemysl in southern Poland, just 13 kilometers from the border. Thousands of refugees still arrive there every day European Union At peak times it was sometimes more than 100,000 a day.
EU representation in Kyiv reopened
A good six weeks after the start of the war in Ukraine, the European Union’s representation in Kyiv will reopen on Friday, announced EU foreign policy chief Borrell on the train journey. The country is still under Ukrainian control, Borrell said. Referring to the train ride across the country, the Spaniard said: “You don’t feel like you’re at war.”
Borrell also announced that it would provide 7.5 million euros for the investigations that Ukraine is conducting into the war crimes in the Kiev suburb of Bucha and elsewhere.
According to Borrell, during the visit to Kyiv, advice will also be given on how, in particular, EU military support for Ukraine in the fight against Russia can be better managed. He expressed confidence that the EU states would agree to his proposal to provide Ukraine with an additional EUR 500 million to support the Ukrainian armed forces in their fight against the Russian army in the coming days. This would increase the funds available to 1.5 billion euros.
Energy question as “big elephant in the room”
There is currently a heated debate in the EU about the extent and speed at which imports of Russian energy should be stopped because of the war. According to estimates by economist Simone Tagliapietra from the Bruegel think tank, the EU currently spends 15 million euros a day on coal, around 400 million euros on gas and 450 million euros on oil from Russia.
With regard to the visit to Kyiv and the energy issue, Borrell said: “That’s the big elephant in the room.” The EU countries have just decided to ban coal imports with a four-month transition period. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy immediately called for tougher measures.
On the way to Kyiv, Borrell confirmed that an oil embargo would probably come sooner than a gas embargo. Austria is also dependent on Russia for around 80 of its gas reserves and has so far rejected such an embargo. At the meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, the topic of energy sanctions will be on the table.
(APA/dpa)