President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen for the latest, fifth package of sanctions introduced against Russia, at the joint briefing during EU officials' visit to Kyiv on April 8.
"But they are not enough," said Zelensky. "The sanctions need to increase, because otherwise, Russia won't listen."
Days earlier, the EU introduced the fifth package of sanctions against Russia. They are banning the import of Russian coal, transactions with four Russian banks, including Russia’s second-largest bank VTB to “further weaken Russia’s financial system.” Also, Russian vessels won’t be allowed to access EU ports, and Russian and Belarusian road transport operators are banned from entering the EU.
The fifth package of sanctions was announced following the revelation of Russian soldiers' atrocities in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv, where they had executed hundreds of civilians during their occupation of the city.
During their visit to Kyiv on April 8, von der Leyen, High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, and Prime Minister of Slovakia Eduard Heger visited Bucha and were shown the bodies of civilian victims.
