European Commission head says EU wants Ukraine ‘in’
Ursula von der Leyen has argued that Kiev “belongs” to the European Union The president of the European Commission has claimed that the EU wants to see Ukraine joining its ranks as a military conflict between Kiev and Moscow rages on. The official was short on specifics and did not provide a timeline for the potential accession, however.
“We have a process with Ukraine that is, for example, integrating the Ukrainian market into the single market. We have a very close cooperation on the energy grid. So, many topics where we work very closely together,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday.
“Over time, they belong to us, they are one of us, and we want them in,” she added. https://www.rt.com/russia/550803-european-commission-wants-ukraine/
EU to Fund the Purchase of Weapons for First Time
The European Union for the first time will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons, in a show of support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday. The EU also will extend to Belarus its sanctions on Russia, ban the entry of Russian planes into EU airspace and ban from the 27-country bloc Russian state-owned media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries. https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-02-26/card/eu-to-fund-buying-weapons-for-first-time-RsvTAr5xRh7kjDaPA0QJ
Germany too.
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-02-26/card/in-u-turn-germany-authorizes-weapon-delivery-to-ukraine-IiUFR1PemR4gufFXPZe2
Germany will send weapons to Ukraine including antiaircraft missiles and tank-busting rockets in a reversal of earlier policy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Saturday.
The U-turn was triggered by the Russian invasion, which Mr. Scholz said marked a turning point. “It is our duty to support Ukraine to the best of our ability in defending against Putin's invading army,” Mr. Scholz said in a statement. “That is why we are delivering 1,000 antitank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to our friends in Ukraine.”
Berlin has also allowed the Netherlands to deliver German-made weapons to Ukraine, breaking with its strict refusal to authorize the delivery of lethal weapons to Ukraine, German government officials said.
Denmark to allow citizens fight in Ukraine
"Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban rejected opposition calls to suspend or scrap the Russia-backed expansion of the country’s sole nuclear power plant. While Hungary backs all sanctions agreed at the European Union level, the government doesn’t want to pay a steeper price than necessary for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, especially when it concerns the energy sector, Orban told state television in an interview on Sunday. Russia’s Rosatom Corp. is carrying out a 12.5 billion-euro ($14 billion) expansion of Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-27/hungary-won-t-cancel-russia-backed-nuclear-project-orban-says
The neutral country said it was ‘very probable’ the Russian assets would be frozen this week Swiss President Ignazio Cassis did not rule out freezing of Russian assets by financial institutions in the country amid Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. The politician said such a scenario was likely despite Switzerland’s long-standing neutral status. Cassis told Swiss television station RTS on Sunday that “it is very probable” the Swiss government “will decide to do so [freeze assets] tomorrow.” “But I cannot anticipate decisions not yet taken,” he added. The president said that while Switzerland has supposedly remained committed to its policy of neutrality, “that does not prevent us from calling a spade a spade.” Neutrality has been the main pillar of Swiss foreign policy since 1815 and the country officially remained neutral in both World War 1 and World War 2. Switzerland is obliged, however, to implement sanctions imposed by the United Nations. Switzerland previously announced on Thursday that it would sanction three Russian banks and introduce travel restrictions on 361 Russian State Duma officials. Cassis claimed that Switzerland “did not directly adopt sanctions” against Russia in 2014 “for reasons of neutrality,” but that the government had now “sharpened its response.” “The EU sanctions issued yesterday are to be integrated into this ordinance in the form of anti-circumvention measures, and individual measures will be tightened, particularly in the financial sector,” Cassis said. https://www.rt.com/russia/550804-switzerland-russian-asset-freeze/
