“Between now and February 24, exactly one year after the start of the invasion, we want to complete a tenth package of sanctions,” von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The sanctions imposed so far have already caused considerable damage to the Russian economy and “set it back a generation”. The price cap for Russian oil alone costs Moscow “about 160 million euros a day”.
Entry bans and asset freezes
The new sanctions package, which has been in preparation since December, is expected to include new entry bans and asset freezes for those responsible in Russia and its ally Belarus. A price cap for Russian petroleum products such as diesel and kerosene is also to come into force on Sunday, and representatives of the EU states are still discussing the amount. All sanctions require a unanimous decision by the 27 EU countries.
“EU stands firm as ever on Ukraine”
“Nice to be back in Kyiv, my fourth visit since the Russian invasion,” von der Leyen wrote on Twitter, along with a picture of her arrival on the night train. “We are here together to show that the EU is as committed to Ukraine as ever.” She arrived in Kyiv with 15 other Commissioners on Thursday morning.
According to the EU Commission, these included Vice Presidents Margrethe Vestager, Valdis Dombrovskis, Vera Jourova and Margaritis Schinas. For emergencies in Brussels has remained alongside other Vice President Frans Timmermans. He is number two on the EU Commission and would take over her duties on an interim basis if President von der Leyen were to fail – for example as a result of a Russian attack on Kyiv.
Further energy aid announced
Further support was also promised to Ukraine for the reconstruction of the energy infrastructure destroyed by Russia. Together with the European Energy Community, more than 150 million euros will be made available for the purchase of important energy technology, said von der Leyen.
In addition to the 3,000 power generators delivered since the beginning of the war, the EU will provide a further 2,400. Ukraine is also invited to participate in the EU platform for joint gas purchasing. “We ensure that electricity continues to flow through the grid despite the attacks,” said von der Leyen. “We will survive this winter, dear Volodymyr, and many more.”
Training mission is increased
In addition to the new sanctions and energy aid, other agreements were made: the EU wants to train 15,000 more Ukrainian soldiers and support mine clearance in the country with 25 billion euros. Among other things, the soldiers should learn how to use Leopard main battle tanks, as the EU foreign policy representative Josep Borrell announced via Twitter. He had promised the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
The EU chief diplomat published a photo in which he shook hands with Schmyhal. Borrell confirmed earlier statements by Brussels that the member countries now want to train a total of 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers on EU territory, twice as many as previously agreed. According to his tweet, this includes “special training and technical instruction on new equipment, including Leopard 2 tanks”.
According to the foreign policy officer, the training is being carried out as part of the military support mission for Ukraine (EU Military Assistance Mission, EUMAM). In November, the EU foreign ministers decided on the largest European training mission to date. So far, 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained on EU territory.
Selenskyj points to progress
The Ukrainian President recently said in a video address to his compatriots that he expects decisions from the EU partners that correspond to the obvious progress made with reforms. He was referring to the fact that the EU admitted Ukraine to the list of candidate countries last June, but made the start of negotiations on accession conditional on the fulfillment of seven conditions.
These are about the selection process for Ukrainian constitutional judges and a stronger fight against corruption – especially at a high level. The EU is also demanding that standards in the fight against money laundering be observed and a law against the excessive influence of oligarchs be implemented.
“We have registered reform momentum”
The EU Commission recently said that Ukraine had made progress, but that an official recommendation for the start of accession negotiations would probably not be made until the second half of the year at the earliest. “We have registered reform momentum, but there is still work to be done,” said a senior official in Brussels on Tuesday.
The talks in Kyiv will also deal with further necessary progress, for example in the fight against corruption, and possible EU support in this regard. Further topics will be the dismantling of trade barriers, humanitarian and military aid and the planned admission of Ukraine to the EU roaming area.
The latter would mean that Ukrainians could use their mobile devices to make calls, text messages and use data services within the EU without having to fear additional costs. The same would apply to EU citizens in Ukraine.
New heavy attacks on Ukraine?
Meanwhile, Ukraine expects new heavy attacks from Russia. According to Ukrainian military officials, such events are expected around February 24, the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv also assumes that Russia has mobilized far more soldiers than officially stated. There is no independent confirmation of this.
Lavrov detects destructive intentions
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused von der Leyen of destructive intentions. The head of the commission wanted Russia’s economy not to be able to recover “for many decades”, said the foreign minister on Russian state television. “Isn’t that racism, not National Socialism – not an attempt to solve ‘the Russian question’?” asked Lavrov, referring to the Second World War. On Thursday, Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Army’s victory over Nazi Germany’s troops in the Battle of Stalingrad.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to use the day to rally the population behind him in the war against Ukraine. A speech by the President is expected in Volgograd, as Stalingrad is called today. The anniversary is celebrated with a military parade. Thousands of people line the streets to see WWII vehicles and modern military vehicles.
Moscow: Russia’s arms companies increase deliveries
Meanwhile, according to former President Dmitry Medvedev, Russian defense companies are expected to significantly increase their arms shipments this year. These new supplies would help the Russian military inflict a “crushing defeat” on Ukraine on the battlefield.
Medvedev is deputy chairman of the powerful National Security Council, which is chaired by Putin. Medvedev also heads a government commission for weapons production. It is unclear whether the information is credible or whether it is just propaganda.
