The European Union must adopt strong sanctions against russia in the next, sixth package. Restrictions should apply to the purchase of russian oil and all russian banks, not just some of them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this in a speech to the Lithuanian authorities.
"Each EU state must finally set specific deadlines in order to effectively abandon or at least significantly limit the consumption of russian gas, oil, etc. Only in this way will the russian leadership come to the conclusion that they really need peace. That war is a disaster for them," the president considers.
Zelenskyy thanked Lithuania for being the first to reject russian energy and for handing over weapons that Ukraine needed, including the Stingers.
"It was a historic manifestation of leadership. The Lithuanian people, like no other, understand how the occupiers can destroy freedom and how difficult it is to rebuild the independence then, which you have succeeded in exemplary. This is the leadership the whole continent needs now to truly save and establish common values that are definitely important for Europe," he said.
The fifth package of EU sanctions doesn’t include the ban on oil and gas imports from russia, some EU countries bring huge amounts of money to russia by paying for its energy resources. Ukraine insists on an oil and gas embargo, and some states, such as Poland and the Baltic states, have begun to abandon russia's energy resources on their own.