As Blinken prepares for a high-stakes meeting with his Russian counterpart, Ukraine’s foreign minister warned that Ukrainians could ‘pay with blood’ for a delay in sanctions on Russia
has decided to do so. He also acknowledged divisions within NATO on a range of issues, and expressed his concern over the disunity, noting, “It’s very important that we keep everyone in NATO on the same page.”
But differences have emerged among NATO allies in Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing the European Union for years to develop its own capability on defense, and this month assumed the bloc’s rotating presidency, which gives him a new lever to advance the idea. Such plans, however, have met little enthusiasm from Germany and other major EU members, which have been happy to let the U.S. take the lead in deterring Russian aggression on the bloc’s eastern flank.
Mr. Kuleba said Ukraine’s North American and European partners are considering penalties on Russia’s financial sector, although the details remain unclear as diplomats work through the logistics. He said he respects concerns expressed to him by European officials over the potential impact of cutting Russian banks off from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, or Swift, payments system, a global network used by almost all financial institutions to wire money.
“I do not want Ukrainian soldiers and Ukrainian civilians to pay with their blood for their…delay in bureaucratic procedures,” he added.
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