President's Office: New package of EU sanctions against Russia should be much stronger

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said this during the nationwide telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He agreed with the assessment of the new package by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba who stated that the sanctions did not correspond to the level of the threat currently posed by new Russian attempts to annex Ukrainian territories and the ongoing aggression to the EU.

"The President also discusses this with the leaders. As of this moment, after what happened on Friday in the Russian Federation and what may happen next week – recognition [of the annexation of Ukrainian territories] in the [Russian] parliament and ultimatums which may follow – certainly, such a package, or rather, the proposals for this package look weak," Zhovkva believes.

According to him, the Ukrainian authorities will do everything possible to make the new package of EU sanctions against the Russian Federation stronger.

"It should be much stronger than it is now. And again, if it is necessary to discuss it at the level of EU leaders, the President of Ukraine will be ready to join the discussion of this package at the level of EU leaders. So that it [package of sanctions] is not so formal, not weak, but really the one that will help restrain this escalation and defeat the aggressor," the Deputy Head of the President's Office noted.

As reported, on September 30, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba stated that the level of EU sanctions against Russia should correspond to the level of threat posed by Moscow.

According to him, for the first time since February 24, he is criticizing the proposed EU sanctions package against the Russian Federation for one simple reason: because it does not correspond to the level of threat that the Russian attempted annexation and ongoing aggression currently pose to the EU.

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