Ukraine’s leader seeks Russia sanctions before it’s too late

By LORNE COOK and RAF CASERT
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging European Union leaders to swiftly impose new sanctions on Russia before it invades his country. He warns that acting after any conflict has started would be far too late. Zelenskyy says Ukraine stands ready to enter into talks with Russia to ease tensions, but that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not appear willing to come to the table. He says if sanctions were imposed after an invasion of Ukraine “this would basically make them meaningless.” His remarks came after talks with a number of EU leaders, including those of France and Germany. The EU’s 27 national leaders will weigh how best to prevent a Russian invasion at a summit on Thursday.