(Kyiv) The highest officials of the European Union met Friday in Kyiv to show their support for the accession process of Ukraine, at a time when Russian assaults are intensifying in the east of the country.
This summit, which is being held almost a year after the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, notably brings together the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, that of the European Council Charles Michel and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky .
“We will support you […] at each stage of your journey to the EU, ”promised Mr. Michel on Twitter when he arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Friday, where anti-aircraft sirens sounded in the morning, recalling the permanent risk of a new volley of Russian missiles.
Ukraine has been an official candidate for membership since June 2022, an arduous process requiring many reforms that could take years, but which Kyiv hopes to speed up.
President Zelensky thus estimated on Thursday that his country deserved to begin talks on its entry into the European Union as early as “this year”.
“Every step towards greater integration of Ukraine into the EU is a source of inspiration for our people,” he pleaded, also calling for further strengthening international pressure on Russia.
In Kyiv, Ursula von der Leyen assured that she was working on new sanctions against Russia for February 24, the first anniversary of the invasion. She did not give details of her intentions for this tenth package, but assured that the country should “pay for the destruction it has caused”.
She said the punitive measures taken over the past year had already set back the Russian economy by “a generation”, noting that capping the price of Russian oil exports at $60 a barrel was costing Moscow 160 million euros a year. day.
Dreaded Major Offensive
A European embargo on Russian refined petroleum products exported by sea must already come into force on Sunday, the Kremlin castigating Friday a “negative” measure which will “further unbalance” the markets.
Kyiv is also calling for the use of Russian assets frozen in Western countries to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine, a hotly debated measure that would pose several legal problems.
On the other side, Russia announced on Friday that it had “nationalized” some 500 properties and assets belonging in particular to Ukrainian oligarchs in Crimea, a peninsula annexed in 2014 by Moscow.
On the ground, the forces continue their murderous bombardments.
In Kramatorsk, a large eastern city controlled by Kyiv forces, rescuers on Thursday evening extricated the body of a woman from the rubble of buildings targeted this week by a strike that killed four people.
As the first anniversary of the war approaches, Kyiv fears a massive new offensive from Moscow as soon as weather conditions permit.
“Russia is concentrating its forces, we all know that. She wants revenge not only on Ukraine, but also on free Europe,” Zelensky said on Thursday.
After a series of humiliating setbacks in the fall, the Kremlin mobilized hundreds of thousands of reservists and stepped up its ground attacks, particularly in the east.
Russian forces have had some success on the battlefield around Bakhmout, which they have been trying to capture since the summer.
“What to answer”
To support the Ukrainian forces, the West finally agreed in recent weeks to send heavy tanks, German-designed Leopards, American Abrams and British Challengers, after long procrastination for fear of provoking an escalation of the conflict.
But Kyiv has not yet obtained the high-precision missiles with a range of more than 100 km that the army says it needs to hit Russian logistics lines or the warplanes it wants.
The promised tank deliveries have in any case accentuated the anger of Moscow, which presents to its public opinion the invasion of Ukraine as a war aimed at preventing the West from destroying Russia.
At an event marking Thursday the 80e anniversary of the victory of the Soviets over the Nazis at Stalingrad, Russian President Vladimir Putin has thus established a new parallel between the offensive in Ukraine and the Second World War.
“It’s incredible, but German Leopard tanks are threatening us again,” said Mr. Putin, who was speaking from Volgograd (ex-Stalingrad, South West), before adding: “We have something to answer and it will not be limited to armored vehicles”.
