Ahead of G20 Summit, Ukraine urges EU to impose seventh round of sanctions on Russia

As Russia's offensive continues to batter the already war-ravaged Ukraine, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, confirmed that the country has been making all efforts to force the European Union to impose another set of sanctions on Moscow. He made the remarks after a telephonic conversation with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Saturday. According to the details shared by Kuleba on his Twitter account, he affirmed that  Borrell agreed on the need for the seventh EU sanctions package on Russia. He conveyed that both parties have already started working on it. "We both agree on the need for the seventh EU sanctions package on Russia and we are working on it," he said.

Kuleba accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of hating the well-being of Europeans and wanting to bring the crisis to the door of every European home. He stressed that support for Ukraine is essential for European partners in order to deter the Kremlin's military aggression.

"Keeping up the support for Ukraine is essential for European partners because Putin hates the well-being of Europeans and wants to bring the crisis to the door of every European home. Ukraine stands in the way of these malicious plans. By supporting us, partners support themselves," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

Putin believes EU Sanctions will backfire

However, the Russian President, called the European and Western sanctions on Moscow a "mad" step as he believed this could lead the European Union to lose nearly $400 billion. While speaking at 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum - an annual Russian business event for the economic sector - which is also popularly known as "Russian Davos", Putin said the country’s economy will overcome sanctions in the coming months. He emphasised that Russia has been focusing on minimising the effect of sanctions in a composed and professional manner.

Kuleba discusses Ukraine's EU membership bid with Borrell

Meanwhile, during the call with the senior EU official, Kuleba also discussed further steps of securing membership in the European Union. Notably, the crucial discussion between Kuleba and Borrell came ahead of the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting, in which it is expected that Ukraine would push the EU officials to fasten the process of Kyiv's EU membership plan. Notably, earlier this month, the European Commission recommended designating Ukraine as a candidate for European Union membership. The Netherlands, which was earlier projected as a major hurdle in granting membership to Ukraine, also extended support to Kyiv, hours after the EU's announcement.

(Image: AP)