Top European Union officials are meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv today.
The summit — to discuss further sanctions on Russia — as well as Ukraine’s prospects of joining the E-U.
“You prepared your application for EU membership brilliantly. I know it by experience. You became a candidate country while fighting an invasion. You continue to make impressive progress to meet the seven steps of the Commission’s opinion.”
The EU has demanded more anti-corruption measures from Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has announced dismissals and investigations of some officials over the past two weeks — saying the country’s defense ministry needs to be cleaned up.
In addition to sanctions and potential E-U membership — the summit was also expected to touch on further aid for Ukraine.
This — as the U.S. was set to announce it will send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as part of an over-2-billion-dollar aid package.
The EU also vowed to punish Russian leaders for the invasion.
“Russia must be held accountable in courts for its odious crimes. And as a first step, I’m pleased to announce that an international center for the crime of aggression in Ukraine will be set up in The Hague.”
The center will coordinate the collection of evidence of potential war crimes.
The announcement comes as the international community considers the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian officials for the crime of aggression.
Tags: European Union, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine aid, Ukraine Defense Ministry, United States, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, War Crimes