Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to address a meeting of the European Council this week, the body’s president, Charles Michel, told CNNon Wednesday (23).
In an exclusive interview with journalist Christiane Amanpour before the meeting on Thursday (24), Michel confirmed that “we proposed that he address the meeting”.
He added that the European Council was the first assembly to invite Zelensky after the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February.
During an interview in Brussels, Michel told Amanpour that: “We have to ensure that Putin is defeated. This must be the common goal.”
“This is a matter of security, for the future of Europe and the future of the world.”
Michel said he had spoken to Zelensky and the Russian president several times since Russia invaded Ukraine, hoping to help them reach a “ceasefire and make possible a genuine path to negotiations”.
It is extremely difficult, because we are not sure that the Russian government is sincere. We are not innocent – we think they are trying to attack the military to strengthen their positions in the negotiation talks.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
“But on the other hand, we have to change the balance of power to give President Zelensky a better position in these direct talks with Russia,” Michel said.
The European Council meeting is scheduled to take place between 24 and 25 March, with Ukraine as the main issue on the agenda. US President Joe Biden is confirmed to be present on Thursday to discuss Ukraine and transatlantic cooperation.
Michel also discussed sanctions, saying the European Union must “be smart” in sanctions against Russia.
“We have decided on unprecedented sanctions” against Russia, he said, adding that “we are targeting oligarchs and economic sectors in Russia.”
However, “we do not have exactly the same situation in Europe and in the United States”, acknowledged the president of the European Council. “The oil and gas sector, for example. We are much more dependent in Europe compared to the situation in the United States.”
“That’s why we have to be smart, the goal is to hit Russia, the goal is to cause Russia pain. The goal is not to cause ourselves pain,” she said.
When pressed about Europe’s dependence on Russia for energy demands, Michel said “we are too dependent on Russian gas”. However, he stated that this is not a recent perception, pointing out that the European Green Deal of 2020 had as one of the long-term goals to solve Russia’s dependence.
Source: CNN Brasil
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