“Internal quarrels must end,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launched on Monday to the countries of the European Union, calling on them for “greater unity” to allow “the adoption” of a sixth package of sanctions against Moscow.
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“Europe must show its strength. Because Russia sees only force as an argument. (…) It is time you were no longer divided, but united,” he said in a video message broadcast during an extraordinary EU summit in Brussels.
"It is only through greater unity that we will be able to find effective responses to everything that Russia is doing against us and against you," said Mr. Zelensky.
The Ukrainian President encouraged the 27 to pass a new package of sanctions against Russia, "including on oil, so that Russia pays the price for what it is doing against Ukraine, against Europe , so that you finally become independent of Russian energy weapons, at least (as far as) oil is concerned”.
“It is obvious that there must be progress in the sanctions against (Russian) aggression,” he argued.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country is very dependent on Russian oil, had previously said on Monday that there was “no compromise” acceptable “for the moment” concerning a European embargo on Russian oil.
“Unfortunately, for some reason that escapes me, we are not there yet,” lamented Volodymyr Zelensky in his video message.
According to him, Russia does not want to see a united European Union, but “27 divided states, 27 pieces which cannot be assembled”. “That is their wish,” he said.
On the Ukrainian candidacy to join the EU, he finally said he was "certain" that "the reluctant States (...) were going to change their minds", while several European representatives, in particular French, expressed reservations on rapid accession of Ukraine to the EU.
“We want Ukraine to receive candidate status. We have fulfilled all the necessary criteria for this,” he said.
