17th package of EU sanctions against Russia may be considered in May

High Representative of the European Union Kaja Kallas expressed hope that EU foreign ministers will consider the 17th package of sanctions against Russia at a meeting in May.

She said this in Luxembourg at a press conference after a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

According to her, the issue of the 17th package of sanctions was considered by the ministers in the context of pressure on Russia.

"It's clear that we are now working on the 17th package, there is also the shadow fleet and various elements to put them together for the Foreign Affairs Council in May," Kallas

The EU High Representative said that the issue of Ukraine was the first on the agenda of the meeting.

"It is clear that all member states want peace. Remember, we had 27 countries that supported the ceasefire. In addition, Ukraine agreed to an unconditional ceasefire a month ago. And yet we see that only Russia wants war, because we see the deadliest attack yesterday, the air strike on Sumy over the weekend. And it is clear that they (Russians) are slowing down (the process) and do not want peace at all," Kallas added.

In this context, Kallas emphasized that the only way to force Russia to start serious negotiations is to increase pressure on it.