Some sanctions should be applied says Ukraine's Foreign Minister Kuleba

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba spoke to members of the press before the European Union Foreign Ministers Meeting. Kuleba stated that he will demand sanctions against Russia from his counterparts at the meeting, which he will attend informally today.

The EU Foreign Ministers Meeting is convening in Belgium today with the Russia-Ukraine agenda. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba stated that he will demand sanctions against Russia from his counterparts at the meeting, which he will attend informally.

"We expect decisions. There are plenty of decisions that the European Union can make now to send clear messages to Russia that its escalation will not be tolerated and Ukraine will not be left on its own. This includes not only political messages but also very specific acts like supporting the development of our defense sector, supporting Ukraine's cyber security, imposing some of the sanctions. This is the message that I will convey to my colleagues today. We believe that there are good reasons, good and legitimate reasons to impose at least some of the sanctions now to demonstrate that EU is not only talking the talk about sanctions but also is walking the walk" said Kuleba."WE WELCOME BIDEN-PUTIN SUMMIT"

"I spoke with Secretary Blinken and he briefed me about the initiative to hold the summit between President Biden and President Putin. We welcome this initiative, we believe that every effort aimed at a diplomatic solution is worth trying. Secretary Blinken assured me that as it has been the case until now, no decision about Ukraine will be taken behind Ukraine's back and we will closely coordinate with him as they will be preparing this summit to synchronize our position to make sure that our interests will be taken into account. We hope of course as human beings, as someone who desperately wants to avoid the war, we hope that two presidents will walk out from the room with an agreement about Russia withdrawing its forces from Ukraine" said Kuleba expressing that Russia's withdrawing will be a clear message of the intention of a de-escalation.