The EU shows its support for Ukraine and its firmness towards Russia

European parliamentarians applauding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his videoconference speech in front of the European Parliament on March 1.

AFP - JOHN THYS

Text by: Pierre Benazet Follow

3 mins

The war in Ukraine has been going on for six months now and the European Union is at the forefront.

She affirmed her support for Ukraine and took unprecedented sanctions against Russia. 

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With our correspondent in Brussels,

The President of the Council Charles Michel affirmed on Tuesday August 23, during the forum on Crimea organized by Volodymyr Zelensky, that the European Union (EU) had said loud and clear from the first days of the conflict that Ukraine belonged to the " 

 ".

This declaration does not only have a political value, it also reflects the geography of the continent and this time the Europeans have taken their responsibilities.

This involvement of the Union comes precisely thirty years after the start of the wars in Yugoslavia, wars at the heart of the continent and where Europe at the time had shone for more than three years by its timidity and inefficiency.

The contrast is striking since, for example, the European Union announced the first sanctions from the start and the acts have continued to follow for six months.

“ Massive

” sanctions 

 against Russia

These sanctions, the Europeans announced from the first day that they would be "

" and they have not ceased to be reinforced.

The first European sanctions even intervened the day before the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine.

These sanctions had been decided in reaction to the recognition by Russia of the secessionist republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.

►Also listen: 

Since then, the EU has continued to strengthen them and at the end of July, it was on the seventh set of sanctions.

First of all, there are the personal sanctions which now affect 1,214 Russians banned from staying in Europe and whose assets in the Union are frozen, among them many political and military leaders and oligarchs.

There are trade sanctions in particular, with the banning of European airspace to Russian planes and the banning of access to European ports for Russian ships.

And also for example the broadcast ban for the Russian propaganda media

and

.

A severe economic cost

But this firmness in the sanctions is still accompanied by a severe economic cost for the Europeans themselves.

Among the sanctions, there is the embargo on Russian oil and coal, and these sanctions were followed in retaliation by a gradual cut off of the gas tap to twelve member countries of the European Union, first Bulgaria and Poland to France, the Netherlands or Finland for example.

The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell affirmed on August 23 that Europe had already succeeded in doing without 50% of its imports of Russian gas, but that the bill is heavy for European industrialists.

This situation has also prompted the EU to take unprecedented decisions to build up gas reserves and relaunch coal-fired power stations, but also nuclear power, which is enjoying a new lease of life.

Despite everything, the European Union managed to preserve its political unity even if there were tensions, in particular on the economic repercussions of the sanctions, with long debates in June with Hungary.

The Europeans are displaying a united front against Moscow and this diplomatic firmness is without real precedent.

What is also unprecedented is the revival of defense Europe, which even goes as far as arms deliveries and training projects for the Ukrainian army.

►Also read: Ukraine: six months after the Russian invasion, a conflict with an uncertain outcome

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