EU, U.S. reaffirm their readiness to punish Russia for its aggression against Ukraine

That's according to a statement published on the EEAS website on January 12, Ukrinform reports.

"The EU and U.S. continue to advance their close cooperation and coordination to confront common security challenges. In the framework of these joint efforts, European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met to discuss Russia's military build-up in and around Ukraine and related diplomatic efforts, in Brussels on Wednesday," the statement said.

According to the statement, this follows previous contacts between High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as Deputy Secretary Sherman's debrief to the EU Political and Security Committee in Brussels on Tuesday on the U.S.-Russia talks in Geneva earlier this week.

"Secretary-General Sannino and Deputy Secretary Sherman reiterated that the EU and the U.S. stand together for shared principles and values. They reconfirmed EU and U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and emphasized the need for Russia to de-escalate and fully implement the Minsk agreements," the EEAS said.

According to the statement, the parties underlined that any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs. They discussed the bilateral and multilateral diplomatic engagements following the proposals presented by the Russian Federation on the security arrangements in Europe.

"The EU and U.S. remain in close contacts and continue their interactions at various levels as part of enduring partnership and shared commitment to transatlantic security and cooperation," the statement said.

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