EU Preparing 22Nd Sanctions Package Against Russia, Ukraine Funding Plan

(MENAFN- IANS) Dublin, Nov 12 (IANS) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that the European Union (EU) is preparing its 22nd sanctions package against Russia and a proposal to address Ukraine's financial needs in 2027.

Speaking to reporters at the beginning of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in the Irish capital of Dublin, von der Leyen said both proposals would be presented before the next European Council meeting.

"We will come with the sanctions package and the proposal for the financial needs before the next European Council," she said.

Von der Leyen also welcomed the recent peace talks in Abu Dhabi and stressed the importance of European representation in negotiations to safeguard the bloc's interests, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"We will support Ukraine, be it in wartime or be it in peacetime," she added.

The EPC summit, held on Thursday at the Convention Centre Dublin, brings together around 50 leaders from across Europe to discuss security and other strategic challenges. It will be followed by an informal meeting of EU leaders on Friday at the same venue.

Meanwhile, trilateral talks involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine ended on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, with Russia and Ukraine reaching an agreement on a "large-scale" prisoner exchange.

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation at talks on the Ukraine crisis, told a press conference that details of the exchange would be announced soon and that negotiations would continue.

He said the delegations had discussed humanitarian issues, with the future of European security being a central focus of the US-mediated talks.

Medinsky added that parties had reached understandings on some issues, without providing further details.

He defended the need to discuss post-war security arrangements at the current stage of negotiations, saying the conflict in Ukraine had exposed shortcomings in Europe's security system.

Medinsky called for the establishment of a fair security framework that takes into account the interests of all countries.

–IANS

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