European Council president optimistic about future EU decisions on Ukraine

President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is optimistic about the upcoming decisions of EU member states regarding Ukraine, which will be considered at the highest level in Brussels in a few weeks, and confirms the determination to apply new sanctions against Russia.

Michel spoke at a press conference following the EU-Canada summit held in the Canadian city of Saint John, as reported by the European Council press service, Ukrinform saw.

"We support Ukraine and will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. On the EU side, we have already delivered €83 billion in support for Ukraine in various fields – financial, military – and we are ready to do more. In the weeks to come we will make additional decisions and I am optimistic, along with our member states, in this regard," said Michel.

He noted that the upcoming meeting of EU leaders will also discuss further sanctions against Russia. “It will also be an opportunity to discuss the importance of preventing the circumvention of sanctions on the one hand, and on the other to identify the sectors in which some additional steps may be needed in the future in coordination with our like-minded partners,” Charles Michel said.

As reported, the European Council will convene in Brussels on December 15-16 for a meeting that will be historically important for Ukraine. In particular, the leaders of the European Union member states will consider the creation of the so-called Ukrainian Facility within the framework of the EU multi-year financial facility for 2024-2027 in the amount of EUR 50 billion. Another important outcome of the summit may be the decision to start negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova regarding accession to the European Union.

Following the Canada-EU summit in Saint John, both parties adopted a joint statement, expressing their intention to jointly support Ukraine and work toward achieving a lasting and just peace.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine