Borrell tells about EU's preparation of 15th sanctions package against Russia
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The European Union is developing a new sanctions package targeting the Russian Federation due to its war against Ukraine. This 15th package of restrictions is set to strengthen measures isolating the country's industry from imports and aims to prevent the circumvention of existing sanctions, states Josep Borrell during a joint press conference with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv.
According to Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, during his visit to the Ukrainian capital, the fifteenth sanctions package against Russia is already being prepared.
He highlighted the importance of Western component imports for Russia's defense industry in the production of weapons and the fueling of its military machine. In this context, he noted that Moscow is managing to bypass the sanctions imposed against it.
"We have to tighten measures against circumvention of these sanctions because Russia cannot produce without foreign parts, foreign chips, and other components. So, we have to use the sanctions in order to isolate industrial capacity of Russia from the components they need to import from the rest of the world," Borrell emphasized.
For his part, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked Borrell for his efforts in implementing 14 EU sanctions packages against Russia.
The Ukrainian minister noted that partners must work together on the fifteenth sanctions package and strengthen sanctions against countries that support Russia's war against Ukraine.
EU defense support issue and investments in Ukrainian weapons
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service also reported that Dmytro Kuleba informed Borrell about the sixfold increase in Ukraine's defense production since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
As the minister noted, Ukraine's priority is the production of drones and long-range weapons, including ballistic missiles.
In this context, Kuleba urged EU countries to increase investments in Ukraine's defense sector.
Earlier, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, Kuleba mentioned that by 2025, Russia could produce 30% more artillery shells than all EU countries combined. He pointed out that this would happen unless there were corresponding responses or preventive measures.
Additionally, it was reported that in October, the EU Council decided to continue the new sanctions regime against Russia every 12 months.
