Diplomatic coordination between Ukraine and the European Union has given new impetus to the response to the Russian invasion, with the preparation of another package of sanctions, the nineteenth since the start of the conflict.
This was reported by Volodimir Zelensky, after holding meetings with high European and American authorities, especially after his meeting at the White House with Donald Trump , current president of the United States, as detailed by Europa Press.
The announcement came shortly after the meeting in Washington. Zelensky subsequently spoke directly with António Costa, President of the European Council, who led a video conference with the leaders of the 27 EU member states. Both leaders agreed that the progress on sanctions represents a decisive step toward ending the war, stressing the urgency of concrete measures and the need for strengthened international cooperation.
Zelensky highlighted in his personal X account the importance of “reliable and effective security guarantees for Ukraine” and considered this to be the main achievement of recent diplomatic efforts, thanks to the unconditional support of the EU.
The round of meetings and agreements turned the new sanctions package into a linchpin of international strategies, with Ukraine's position that"it is necessary to increase pressure until Russia takes real steps to stop the war," according to Europa Press.
Sanctions have been a key tool in the European response since the start of hostilities in 2022, and expectations are rising about the scale of the next package.
Kaja Kallas, vice president of the European Commission, confirmed to CNN that the EU is preparing “new sanctions following the latest virtual meeting organized by the ‘Coalition of the Willing’,” and estimated that the new set of restrictions will be ready next month.
Kallas stressed that sanctions must be “strong and credible,” warning against trusting Russian promises: “Putin cannot be trusted to keep any promises or commitments,” he said.
The recent meeting of European leaders demonstrated unusual cohesion regarding economic pressure on Moscow and their stance toward Vladimir Putin's regime.
Europa Press indicates that Brussels unity remains essential for the effectiveness of the sanctions regime and for keeping the possibility of Ukraine's future integration into the EU's institutional architecture alive. António Costa predicted that the coming weeks will require hard work to define the security guarantees Ukraine requires and stressed:"We are at a critical point; nothing is guaranteed, but we must continue this work to achieve success."
Diplomatic and semantic changes in the European position
Recently, the European Union has changed its public approach to the conflict. EU officials have replaced the traditional call for a"ceasefire" with a "stop the killing" slogan, a rhetorical shift intended to reflect the magnitude of the tragedy and adapt the discourse to the sensibilities of its main international allies.
The Guardian points out that this linguistic alteration is in response to an interest in avoiding resistance from Donald Trump, who, according to European sources cited by AFP, rejected the use of the expression"ceasefire." Community officials consider it essential not to generate semantic tensions in Washington during key negotiations on the future of European and Ukrainian security.
While the rhetoric is evolving, Europe's strategic objectives have not changed fundamentally. At the recent White House summit, leaders reiterated their goal of containing the conflict and preserving Ukraine's territorial integrity. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated,"I can't imagine the next meeting taking place without a ceasefire, so let's work on that and put pressure on Russia," according to The Guardian. French President Emmanuel Macron shared the same conviction:"A truce, a ceasefire, or at least a halt to the killings is a necessity."
