The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, stressed on Wednesday 20 April, during a visit to Ukraine, that the EU would do its utmost to help Ukraine win the war.
“We are determined to do everything we can to help Ukraine, because we want them to win the war”, he promised at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While highlighting that the EU had already adopted five packages of sanctions, Mr Michel felt that this was not enough. According to him, the EU is constantly working to put more pressure on Russia.
For his part, Mr Zelensky again called for the exclusion of all Russian banks from Swift and an embargo on Russian oil and gas. “Everything must be done to deprive Russia of financing its bloody war”, he argued, adding that the current sanctions did not go far enough. He hoped that the 6th sanctions package would include an oil embargo, otherwise, he said, the package would be “empty”.
The President of the European Council noted that the EU had released €1.5 billion from the European Peace Facility to provide military assistance to Ukraine. Mr Zelensky hoped that his country would be able to have all the necessary modern weapons.
Mr Michel also announced the launch of the Ukraine Trust Fund on 5 May. This fund is intended to help the country cope with the short- and medium-term economic consequences of the war, but also to assist in the reconstruction of the country. The Ukrainian President said that the reconstruction of cities should be restarted “without delay”.
Mr Michel said he was working closely with the IMF and the World Bank to enable Ukraine to pay its social expenses and start a reconstruction programme as soon as possible.
Returning from the ‘martyred’ town of Borodyanka, he further explained that it was important to collect evidence of crimes and provide EU support “to make sure that international justice will prevail”. “Those responsible must be punished, they will be punished, they must pay for what they have done”, in Borodyanka and elsewhere in Ukraine, Mr Michel warned. According to the Ukrainian President, the EU and Ukraine will cooperate to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the country.
Finally, Mr Zelensky described his country’s application for EU membership as a “priority”. “This is a priority for our state, for the strength of our people, who are ready to defend our land against the Russian invaders, even without weapons”, he stressed. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)