Podesta: EU to continue to pressure Russia until it achieves end to war in Ukraine

The European Union will continue to exert sanctions pressure on Russia to force it to move towards peace and negotiate with Ukraine; the 19th package of sanctions will be presented in early September, EU Spokesperson Arianna Podesta said at a briefing in Brussels, Report informs.

She said that the EU's goals have not changed - to stop the killings, hold peace talks, and reach an agreement on it.

The main message of EU President Ursula von der Leyen is to stop the killings. Anything that leads to this, whether it is a ceasefire or reaching an agreement on peace, is welcomed by the EU, Podesta said.

Asked about security guarantees for Ukraine, which was one of the main topics at the meeting in Washington the day before, the EU representative noted that at this stage, there are no specific messages about what these security guarantees will look like. She added that the teams will continue to work on the details of these security guarantees in the coming weeks. This concerns the United States, the European countries that were represented at the meeting, and, of course, the representatives of the commission, she said.

According to her, there are also no agreements on the place and time of the meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, which was announced at the talks in the United States on Monday. She added that it is not for the EU to decide where to hold such a meeting. It is important that the meeting becomes an important step in the process that can lead to a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine, she said.