The European Union's (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kalas, announced today that the EU will soon extend sanctions on Russia and that Ukraine has "full support".
"We will soon adopt new measures targeting Russia's energy, financial and trade revenues. Russia's war economy is already weak. We will make it weaker. Every euro we take from Russia is a euro it cannot spend on war," Kalas said in Kiev, after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibih.
She stated that the EU has provided the first 10 million euros for the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression.
"Russian leaders are responsible for this war. There would be no war crimes if there were no crimes of aggression – so there would be no atrocities. No one should go unpunished for crimes committed," said Kalas.
She said that EU leaders are also discussing the use of blocked Russian funds in a loan for compensation to Ukraine: "Moscow should bear the costs of this war, not European taxpayers... I cannot give a specific date, because we are working very intensively on this."
She added that six million euros have been allocated for the care of children who were deported from Ukraine and victims of sexual violence.
Regarding support for Ukraine during the winter, Kalas stated that the EU has allocated 800 million euros, and is working to secure another 100 million euros for generators, shelters and cold weather equipment.
Kalas said the mandate of the EU civilian mission in Ukraine would be expanded to include cyber defense and support, and that the EU would provide Ukraine with two billion euros for new drones, and that she and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would present a roadmap for European defense.
"It will define capability goals and milestones for key areas such as anti-drone systems. It is clear that we need to strengthen our defenses against Russia. Not to provoke war, but on the contrary, to prevent war," said Kallas.
She added that the EU can learn "a lot" from Ukraine regarding drone defense: "We received a very good presentation from the Ukrainians regarding drone defense and what these systems should really look like, what elements we need. And I think we can cooperate very well with the Ukrainian defense industry as well."
When asked by reporters what Europe thinks about the possible delivery of US Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Kalas said that the EU accepts "all tools that make Ukraine stronger and Russia weaker."
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