Russia says EU-Ukraine summit confirms support for Kyiv just to serve West’s ‘hegemonic aspirations’

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia on Saturday said the EU-Ukraine summit on Friday confirmed that the 27-member bloc’s support for Kyiv is just for the sake of serving the US and NATO’s “hegemonic aspirations.”

In a written response, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the EU, by "violating" its own standard requirements for candidacy and declaring 'common values’ with Kyiv, stands in solidarity with “the total suppression of dissent, violation of freedom of speech and expression, gross violation of linguistic and confessional rights in Ukraine.”

Zakharova called the EU’s readiness to provide further support to Ukraine while calling for peace “equally hypocritical,” saying all of the EU’s military deliveries and financial support towards Kyiv leads to “an increase in the number of victims of the conflict, including those among the civilian population.”

“Under these conditions, attempts to start the process of creating some kind of quasi-structures to hold accountable for what is happening in Ukraine are absurd and immoral. As they say, who are the judges? Those who cheated with the Minsk agreements … who pumped Ukrainian criminals with weapons and money, who are trying to misappropriate Russian state assets and the funds of our citizens,” Zakharova said.

She added that the summit confirms the EU invested all political, financial and military means to “develop a front in Ukraine against the formation of a multipolar world order, which Russia and the majority of the world community firmly support.”

The summit, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as "a powerful symbol," discussed prospects of Kyiv's accession to the union, settlement of the war in Ukraine, and food security.

The EU, which has provided financial and military aid to Ukraine, promised more help and support at the historic summit in Kyiv.

The bloc has also pledged a 10th round of sanctions against Moscow on Feb. 24, the first anniversary of Russia's war.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “Ukraine is taking important steps on its path to the EU … I know that they will keep the pace.”

Ukraine was granted full-candidate status last June.