Sybiha calls on EU Foreign Affairs Council to unblock EUR 90 bln for Ukraine this week
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha participated online in a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Tuesday, calling on member state ministers to unblock a EUR 90 billion reparation credit, the 20th EU sanctions package against Russia, and to open negotiation clusters for Ukraine’s EU accession as soon as possible, the Foreign Ministry website reports.
"EUR 90 billion is an absolute priority. This step has already been agreed upon. It must be implemented, because every day of delay causes harm. Currently, there are no obstacles, and even artificial hurdles have been removed. The EU has the necessary tools to lift the blockade this week. We count on their activation in the coming days," Sybiha noted.
The minister specifically highlighted the critical importance of the rapid adoption of the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia, which must be as strong as possible to inflict maximum damage on the Russia military budget.
"This is a necessity to protect the European Union itself, its citizens, and its interests. Too many important steps have been delayed for too long. All this sends the wrong signals to Putin. The longer these steps take to adopt, the more hope he has of destroying the EU and harming its member states," he emphasized.
The Foreign Minister confirmed the readiness of Ukraine and Moldova to open negotiation clusters and called for seizing the window of opportunity to officially launch the process.
It is reported that during the meeting, the European side positively noted the progress of reforms Ukraine has demonstrated recently.
Sybiha separately briefed his European colleagues on the situation on the battlefield. He reported on Ukraine’s successes, particularly in the long-range strike campaign against Russia, and emphasized the need for increased investment in the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex, as well as strengthening Ukraine’s air defense to protect against Russian strikes.
