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Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa has said that while sanctions against Russia should continue to be expanded across multiple sectors, it is equally important to close the loopholes Moscow uses to evade existing restrictions, UATV English reports.
Speaking in an interview with the Estonian news portal ERR, Betsa stressed the need for stronger pressure on Russia’s economy.
“We need to strengthen sanctions against the shadow fleet and the banking sector, but most importantly, we must close all the loopholes Russia uses to bypass sanctions. We must deprive Russia of the financial means to continue the war so that the cost of aggression rises every day. There is only one recipe — maximum pressure on Russia from the United States and other international actors to force it to stop its war against Ukraine and ensure accountability,” she said.
According to Betsa, Russia is constantly adapting and often responds faster than Western institutions responsible for implementing sanctions.
“Sanctions packages need to be adopted as quickly as possible and synchronized among the European Union, Canada, the United States, and other partners. We also have our own ‘long-range sanctions’ — strikes deep inside enemy territory — because we have the right to defend ourselves under Article 51 of the UN Charter,” she added.
Betsa argued that political pressure, diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions, and long-range strikes should be combined into a unified strategy.
“It is necessary to strengthen the defense capabilities of both Ukraine and the European Union because, as I have said before, this is not only a war against Ukraine. Russia has long been waging a hybrid war against the West. Russia’s goal remains unchanged — to destroy or subjugate Ukraine. It will not succeed. But another objective is to divide the world into spheres of influence, with Ukraine serving as a buffer between Russia and the West. These revanchist and imperial ambitions extend far beyond Ukraine,” Betsa said.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is actively working with the European Union on preparations for the bloc’s 21st sanctions package against Russia and hopes that Kyiv’s proposals will be incorporated into the final measures.
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