The “Kyiv Summit”… a strong European message of solidarity with Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed, at the conclusion of a summit between his country and the European Union, in Kyiv yesterday, that his country’s accession to the Union is an irreversible path, and he expressed his hope that negotiations begin before the end of this year.

In the press conference that followed the summit, which was held to the sound of sirens, and in a strong message of solidarity with Kyiv, European Council President Charles Michel said that the Union commends the efforts made by Ukraine to fulfill the conditions for accession, adding that the firm European support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression will not He stops, and that “Ukraine is the European Union, and the European Union is Ukraine.”

In turn, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, promised a new package of sanctions against Russia, and said that the Union would announce them on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the war. She did not go into the details of the package, but stressed that Russia must “pay a price for the damage it inflicted (in Ukraine).”

In addition, the European Union announced that it intends to intensify its efforts to find a way to allow it to use the frozen Russian assets to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission said, in a statement, that “the European Union (…) will intensify its efforts to use the frozen Russian assets to support the reconstruction of Ukraine and to pay compensation, in accordance with European and international law.”

On the other hand, a spokesman for the German government confirmed that Germany had granted licenses for the export of “Leopard 1” combat tanks to Ukraine from its stocks. “I can confirm that the export was permitted,” he added.
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