EU to Take Final Decision on Ukraine’s Bid to Join Bloc Next Week

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Saturday that the European Union (EU) will take a final decision on Ukraine’s request to join the bloc next week.

“We seek to rebuild Ukraine and support its endeavors to join the European Union,” Von der Leyen said.

The European Commission chief said on Wednesday that food has become part of Russia’s “terror arsenal”.

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen stressed the urgent need to reopen Ukraine’s ports on the Black Sea to resolve the looming global food crisis.

She stated that this is a cold, cruel, and calculated siege by Russian President Vladimir Putin on some of the most vulnerable countries and peoples in the world.

The EU Commission chief stressed that the European Union’s sanctions against Russia “do not affect basic food commodities.”

She added that the port ban specifically includes a complete exemption of agricultural commodities, noting the need to counter Russian “disinformation” about the food crisis.

On the 100th day of the Russian war in Ukraine, the European Council President, Charles Michel, noted that the council formally adopted the sixth package of sanctions, including the Russian oil embargo.

“The EU is united and will do all it can to bring an end to this disastrous war,” Michel tweeted.

Concerning the oil sector, the gradual ban affects the purchase, import or transfer of crude oil and some petroleum products from Russia to the European Union (EU).

The European Union set a deadline of 6 months to completely dispense with crude oil and 8 months for refined petroleum products.