European Council chief Charles Michel has said Russian President Vladimir Putin should withdraw his troops from Ukraine. His appeal to the Russian leader with the words “Come Home” was placed in the headline of an interview with a European official by the Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
Michel stressed that the EU cannot allow Ukraine to be defeated.
Now we have to support Ukraine militarily. The Europeans must step up the pressure on Moscow. Defeating Ukraine may not be an option
– said the head of the European Council.
According to him, the next few weeks will be decisive militarily and, therefore, politically. Michel added that in Europe there is no open talk about the supply of fighter jets to Kiev, but “we understood the general mood”.
At the same time, the EU official pointed out that the EU has introduced all major sanctions against Russia. According to him, each subsequent restriction package aims to “tighten the noose”, and also aims to ensure that Moscow cannot circumvent the sanctions.
The essentials have already been done, because we have imposed sanctions on fossil fuels. Once you’ve cleared the main milestones, there’s not a whole lot more you can do.
Michael underlined.
The head of the European Council earlier in an interview with El Mundo said that Kiev should receive tanks from the West, and noted that he was in favor of their immediate transfer. There are “hot debates” on this question, in particular concerning their supply by Germany, he specified.
Earlier, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the next few weeks would be decisive for the fate of Ukraine. It is during this period that the outcome of the Russian special operation will be predetermined, he noted. The minister clarified that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would lose if the West did not send huge stockpiles of weapons to Kiev.
