Europe will strengthen support for Ukraine – Metsola
European countries will continue to weaken Russia's military machine by strengthening sanctions and will also increase their support for Ukraine, said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
"Together, we can prove to Russia that its actions will not go unanswered, and we will do this together to ensure deterrence and ensure peace. How will we do this? First and foremost, we will continue to weaken Russia's military machine through coordinated and tough sanctions. In fact, we are working on a 19th sanctions package while negotiations continue," Metsola said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Wednesday.
"We will strengthen our humanitarian, military, and diplomatic support for Ukraine, as well as further intensify cooperation with international partners and invest in Ukraine's own production," she emphasized.
Moreover, according to the President of the European Parliament, Europe is close to completely abandoning Russian oil and gas and "seek[ing] reliable and secure partners while simultaneously combating Russia's shadow fleet."
Metsola also assured that the European Parliament will support all efforts to conduct all negotiations and discussions to open the first cluster of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.