Kyiv:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged the EU to end the internal “quarrels” and said they were only helping Moscow, and asked the bloc to increase sanctions against Russia.
“All quarrels in Europe must end, internal disputes that only encourage Russia to put more and more pressure on you,” Zelensky said via video link at an EU summit in Brussels.
“It’s time you were not separated, not fragments, but one whole,” he said, calling for a new set of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on Russian oil.
EU divisions have delayed the approval of another sanctions package against Russia, with Hungary saying it will not support an oil embargo on Moscow.
“Clearly progress needs to be made on sanctions against Russia,” Zelensky said.
“Unfortunately, for a reason that escapes me, we are still not there,” he added, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban remains the main obstacle to achieving an embargo on Russian oil.
Zelensky said “greater unity” in the bloc was the only effective way to counter Russia, stressing that Kiev has shown how important unity can be in the fight against the Russian invasion.
“If someone torpedoed a ship, it’s impossible for one or more cabins to have hope of staying afloat when others are drowning,” Zelensky said.
He also said he hoped EU countries that oppose an accelerated EU candidacy status of Kiev “will change their minds”.
“We have met all the necessary criteria for this status,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Ukraine is outraged by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s comments that Kiev’s bid to join the EU cannot be accelerated despite the Russian invasion.
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