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Swedish Fashion H&M Retailer Quits Russia [1]
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Date: 2022-07
EU foreign ministers have pledged another 500 million euros ($504 million) in military aid to Ukraine as the bloc's foreign policy chief called on member states not to waver in their commitment to sanctions against Russia.
The European Union has now pledged a total of 2.5 billion euros to Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter he was grateful for the new funds but still urged the EU's 27 members to provide more.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, Western military aid, worldwide reaction, and the plight of civilians and refugees. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
He said his key message in an address to the foreign ministers on July 18 was "weapons to Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, and accountability for Russia are the three ways to restore peace, enhance security, and protect stability in Europe."
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis agreed that weapons deliveries must continue, saying it was also essential to secure the port of Odesa to ensure grain shipments can resume.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell agreed that Ukraine needs more arms as he sought to show that the EU was not giving up and would remain united.
Speaking at a news conference, Borrell also lashed out at critics claiming that sanctions were counterproductive and hurt the EU more than Russia.
"Some European leaders have been saying that the sanctions were an error, were a mistake," Borrell said in an apparent reference to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who last week claimed the EU had not only shot itself in the foot but also in the lungs by implementing six packages of sanctions.
"There is a big debate about 'are the sanctions effective? Are the sanctions affecting us more than Russia.'" Pointing to economic figures showing that the impact on Russia was bigger than on the EU, Borrell asked rhetorically: "They don't have eyes? They don’t look to the graphs? They don't consider figures?"
The unprecedented sanctions include a partial ban on imports of Russian oil, a ban on transactions with Russia's central bank, and a halt to new investments in Russia.
The sanctions, which are meant to cripple Russia's ability to fund the war, come at a time of surging inflation and the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting a challenge to the bloc's ability to hold firm.
But Borrell said European countries cannot afford fatigue.
"They took the decisions on restrictive measures on the Russian economy, and they have to stick to it," he said.
Borrell added that he expected EU ambassadors to approve a new EU import ban on Russian gold later this week in a seventh sanctions package.
Gold is Moscow's second-largest export industry after energy. The Group of Seven (G7) leading industrial economies last month committed to a gold ban, arguing that Russia has used its gold to back up its currency to circumvent the impact of sanctions.
With reporting by AP and Reuters
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