Polish PM takes part in European Council video call over Ukraine crisis

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and several of his counterparts participated in a videoconference with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, concerning on the current situation in Ukraine.

The virtual meeting, also attended by prime ministers of Finland, Greece, the Netherlands and Slovakia, focused on the need to aid Ukraine as the country faces the threat of a Russian invasion.

According to a Government Information Centre (CIR) statement issued on Monday, intensive discussions are ongoing within the EU pertaining to the imposition of possible sanctions on Russia if it decides to take aggressive actions against Ukraine. The package of measures is to be agreed upon and adopted jointly by the member states of the bloc.

CIR also said that, on February 1, the European Commission, EU's executive arm, tabled a proposal for a EUR 1.2 billion emergency macro-financial assistance (MFA) package for Ukraine under which MFA funds would be made available to the country in the form of long-term loans on favourable terms.

"They will contribute to enhancing Ukraine's macroeconomic stability and overall resilience in the context created by the sharp increase in geopolitical uncertainty and its impact on the economic situation," the statement read.

European leaders are increasingly concerned about the massing of Russian troops at Ukraine's borders and Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening to take military steps if his demands are not met, including a promise from Nato that Ukraine will never become a member of the alliance.

On Thursday, Russia began military exercises in Belarus and the Black Sea.