At the European Council, President von der Leyen reiterates support for Ukraine, welcomes leaders’ agreement on further sanctions against Russia

On the first day of the special European Council taking place on 30-31 May, EU leaders agreed on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, that includes a ban on crude oil and petroleum products, with a temporary exception for crude oil delivered by pipeline.

President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement, calling it an important step forward. She also recalled other restrictive measures that this package of sanctions includes, such as de-SWIFTing Sberbank, by far Russia’s largest bank, and the suspension of broadcasting of three big Russian state-owned broadcasters from EU airwaves.

Speaking about EU’s support to Ukraine, President von der Leyen said the EU was working on a mechanism to have an extraordinary EUR 9 billion of macro-financial assistance.

EU leaders noted that Ukraine’s reconstruction would require comprehensive support to rebuild the country for the future, and that the EU and its Member States were ready to play a major role. In that regard, the leaders discussed the Commission’s proposal to create a platform that would channel all the international initiatives in raising the necessary investment. President von der Leyen underlined that ‘investment comes with reform’. “It is important that we stand together to give Ukraine a fair chance to rise from the ashes and to be able to leapfrog forward that investment – concerning reconstruction as well as the improvement of the state of Ukraine,” she concluded.

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Opening remarks by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with President Michel following the special meeting of the European Council of 30 May 2022

European Council conclusions on Ukraine, 30 May 2022

Compliments of the European Commission.