VdL-No Rigid Timelines For Ukraine EU Accession, Still Goals To Be Met

Speaking in Kyiv at an EU-Ukraine summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen states that there are 'no rigid timelines' for Ukraine's accession to the EU, and that there are 'goals to be met' before membership becomes a possibility. There has been speculation that the downplaying of the potential speed Kyiv's EU accession process had been seen as one of the major aims of EU figures for today's summit (see 1003GMT bullet).

• On Russia sanctions, VdL states that the next EU sanctions package would target components that go into the manufacture of Russian drones used in its war on Ukraine. While the next sanctions package has not been put together yet, there is speculation that the 10th round could come in late February to mark the one year anniversary of the launch of Russia's invasion.
• Zelenskyy states that any sanctions package should 'ensure Russia cannot rebuild its military capability'. Also, in the wake of the green light for receiving German Leopard 1 and 2 tanks, Zelenskyy states that Ukraine would be able to hold Bakhmut and liberate the occupied Donbas if it possessed long-range weapons.