THE air raid sirens played this Friday in the Ukrainian capital and throughout the country shortly before the start of a Summit between Ukraine and the European Union in Kyiv, where the sides were discussing the country’s entry into the war into the European bloc this Friday.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Kiev on Thursday accompanied by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and about 15 European commissioners, ahead of the summit in full conflict with Russiawhich doubled its offensive in the east of the former Soviet republic
The leaders of the EU expressed their support for the accession process this Friday from Ukraine.
The meeting was attended by President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky.
“We will support them (…) at every stage of your journey to the EU“, Charles Michel tweeted this Friday on his arrival in the Ukrainian capital, where anti-aircraft sirens sounded at dawn, recalling the permanent risk that Moscow would attack Kiev again.
Ukraine has officially been a candidate to join the bloc since June 2022, an arduous process that requires many reforms and that it could take years, but the Ukrainian government hopes to speed it up.
President Zelensky considered on Thursday that his country deserves to start the talks “this year”. of accession to the EU.
“Every step towards further integration of Ukraine into the EU is a source of inspiration for our people,” he said, adding that it should intensify international pressure on Russia.
New sanctions for the 1st anniversary
Von der Leyen has assured Kiev that he is working on new sanctions against Russia for February 24, the first anniversary of the invasion. He didn’t provide details on plans for that tenth sanctions package, but said Moscow would he must “pay for the destruction he has caused”.
He believed that the sanctions adopted so far have held back the Russian economy “a generation”, stressing that limiting the price of Russian oil exports to $60 a barrel costs Moscow 160 million euros ($174 million) per day.
This Sunday a European embargo on Russian refined petroleum products exported by sea, a “negative” measure that will “further unbalance” the markets, as denounced by the Kremlin on Friday.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian government is demanding that Russian assets frozen in Western countries be used to finance reconstruction, a move that would raise several legal issues.
For its part, Russia announced on Friday that it had “nationalized” some 500 assets and assets mostly belonging to Ukrainian oligarchs in Crimea, a peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014.
the war front
After a series of humiliating setbacks this fall, the Kremlin mobilized hundreds of thousands of reservists and multiplied his land attacks, especially in the east.
Russian forces have had some successes on the battlefield around Bakhmut, a city they have been trying to capture since the summer.
In Kramatorsk, also in the east, where buildings were targeted in an attack on Wednesday, the body of a new victim was found on Thursday, bringing the death toll to four with 18 injured, according to rescue teams.
The first anniversary of the conflict is approaching and Ukraine fears that Moscow is preparing a new major attack.
“Russia is concentrating its forces, we all know that. It wants revenge not only on Ukraine, but also of a free Europe“Zelensky said on Thursday.
The West finally agreed to send heavy tanks to Ukraine, including German Leopards, American Abrams and British Challengers, after lengthy jailbreaks fearing an escalation of the conflict.
long range missiles
But Kiev did not receive the high-precision missiles with a range of over 100 km which the army says it needs to hit Russian supply lines.
Western promises to deliver the tanks caused great anger in Moscow, which presents the invasion of Ukraine as a war aimed at preventing Westerners from destroying Russia.
During a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew a parallel between the Russian offensive against Ukraine and World War II.
“It’s an amazing thingand the German tanks threaten us again”, Putin stressed in Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad, southwest), before adding: “We have what to answer with.”
AFP extension
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.