EU’s Michel promises ‘truly painful’ Russia sanctions after Zelensky meet

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday announced that he had had “substantive” discussions with European Council President Charles Michel about the European Union’s (EU) support of Ukraine in the war against Russia.

In his nightly address to the nation, the 44-year-old provided an update on his discussions with Michel, who is on a trip to Ukraine.

“At present European Union is working on the sixth package of sanctions,” Zelensky said, adding, “We discussed this matter with Charles Michel today. We are making sure that it is truly painful for the Russian war machine and the Russian state in general.”

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“Another great topic of our discussion is our advancement toward integration [with the EU],” Zelensky added, without providing further details on the status of Ukraine’s application.

The two leaders also discussed specific steps to be taken for the restoration of the Ukrainian economy.

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“To resume export of Ukrainian agrarian products and to disable Russia’s blackmailing with energy resources — those are top priorities for everyone on the continent,” Zelensky said, highlighting the key takeaways from their discussion.

The 44-year-old then went on to provide updates on Ukraine itself and the ongoing war with Russia.

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“We have already proved that Ukrainian state and civic institutions are effective enough to withstand a war ordeal,” Zelensky said about Ukraine’s resolve.

“We have already been doing for the defense of freedom on the European continent so much that it hasn’t been the other nations’ lot to do,” he added, in an apparent veiled poke at Western leaders, who he had criticised earlier for their reluctance to get involved in the conflict.

However, over the past couple of weeks, especially after the Bucha killings came to light, Western leaders have been more proactive in their support for Ukraine, and have announced a slew of security and assistance packages that include weapons, vehicles, and ammunition to help the war-torn eastern European country.