EU Ready to Impose New Sanctions Against Russia and Belarus

The leaders of the EU are prepared to impose new sanctions against Russia and Belarus if necessary, as well as to close loopholes in the already existing sanctions regime. This was stated in an EU announcement released on Friday, according to Armenpress.

"The EU has already imposed significant sanctions that have serious impacts on Russia and Belarus, and it is ready to close loopholes and eliminate means of circumventing restrictive measures, as well as to quickly impact Russia and Belarus with further coordinated tough sanctions," the statement, released on the first day of the EU summit, reads.

The EU calls on all countries to comply with these sanctions and believes that any attempts to circumvent sanctions or assist Russia must cease. The European Union will continue to provide systematic political, financial, material, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, the statement emphasizes.

"The European Union is committed to supporting the Ukrainian government in meeting its urgent needs, and after the end of military operations, to the reconstruction of a democratic Ukraine," the document states.

"To this end, the European Council agrees to establish a solidarity trust fund with Ukraine and invites its international partners to participate in it," the statement mentioned.

Heads of state and government of EU countries also called on the European Commission to "continue providing technical assistance to Ukraine to help implement necessary reforms," as reported by Interfax.