The European Union called on the aggressor country Russia to immediately withdraw all its troops and equipment from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
They also warned the authorities of Belarus to refrain from any further involvement in the illegal aggressive war of the Russian Federation against the Ukrainian state. This was stated in the EU's statement at the meeting of the Permanent Council of the OSCE.
'The EU is ready to continue restrictive measures to further increase collective pressure on Russia to end its aggressive war and withdraw troops from Ukraine. Furthermore, we call on the Belarusian authorities to immediately cease allowing its territory to be a staging ground for attacks on Ukraine, which in itself is aggression,' the statement said.
Politicians emphasized that Belarus must stop providing military support to Russia. They confirmed that any further actions and, in particular, any direct involvement of Belarusian military in Russia's war will be met with new and strict restrictive measures.
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'Russia intends to deprive the residents of Ukraine of holidays this year. But it must understand that it cannot destroy either Christmas or Ukraine. Russia will never succeed in destroying the will of the Ukrainian people to live freely and independently, its determination to fight the aggressor to victory, and its democratic happy European future,' assured the EU.
The EU representation in international organizations in Vienna emphasized that last week EU leaders made it clear to the European Council their strong condemnation of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine.
'They confirmed full EU support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, as well as Ukraine's inherent right to self-defense against Russian aggression,' the message said.
EU leaders are committed to providing political and military support to Ukraine, particularly through the European Peace Facility, the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine, and the activation of bilateral support, particularly in air defense and demining assistance.
The Council of the European Union approved the allocation of a second tranche of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine.
It is a loan of 5 billion. This was reported by the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic.
The new loan will go towards Ukraine's day-to-day operations and will ensure the functioning of critical infrastructure: offices, schools, or hospitals, said Czech Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura.