EU prepared for long war in Ukraine, will work on more Russia sanctions

The European Union is prepared for a long war in Ukraine and will support Kyiv against Russia's aggression as long as it takes, Sweden's foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, whose country holds the EU's presidency, said on Wednesday.

"Despite Russia's continued attempts to divide us, unity within the EU and across the Atlantic has been strong. The EU is prepared for a long war and will continue to stand by Ukraine's side with political, economic, military and humanitarian support for as long as it takes," Billstrom told a news conference.

He said the EU would continue working on more sanctions against Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine after nine packages of measures passed by the 27-nation bloc since the start of the invasion in February 2022.