The European Union is opening an international centre to treat criminal prosecutions in Ukraine. This has been said by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The centre will coordinate the collection of evidence. It will be part of an investigation team supported by the EU agency Eurojust.

The European Union must also impose a new set of sanctions on Russia before a year has passed since it invaded Ukraine. “We will continue to increase the pressure on Russia,” said von der Leyen on a visit to Kyiv. It would be the tenth sanctions package since Moscow went to war on February 24 last year.

The punitive measures have not yet changed the Kremlin’s mind, and it consistently claims to weather them well. But Russia does pay “a high price,” says von der Leyen. In the long run, the sanctions would erode the Russian economy. However, economic forecasts for next year are not too bad for Moscow.

Von der Leyen has arrived in Kyiv with a heavy delegation of European Commissioners for consultations on, among other things, Ukraine’s intended accession to the EU. “We are here to demonstrate the EU’s steadfast support for Ukraine and further deepen our support and cooperation.”