Kallas calls for continued sanctions on Russia

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas urged member states to maintain sanctions against Russia due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. She emphasized that sanctions are crucial in depriving Russia of funding and maintaining stability. Kallas stressed that the EU’s position remains unchanged and that they are working on a new package of sanctions.

However, discussions on extending sanctions have been ongoing, with some member states seeking to remove certain individuals from the bloc’s blacklist. France and Slovakia pushed for Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman to be removed from the blacklist. Despite reaching a provisional agreement to take them off the list, Latvia lodged a last-minute objection, preventing the pact from finalizing.

Russia has been attempting to intimidate Europe into reducing support for Ukraine, according to Kallas. She warned that as Russia is willing to take greater risks, the EU must impose greater costs on the nation.