The European Union said it had joined members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) in suspending Russia and Belarus from the Council's activities.
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"This decision is a part of the European Union's and like-minded partners' response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the involvement of Belarus in this unprovoked and unjustified aggression," it said on Saturday.
"The EU agrees with the other members of the CBSS (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden) that the suspension of Russia and Belarus will remain in force until it is possible to resume cooperation based on respect for fundamental principles of international law," it added.
We have suspended the cooperation with Russia and its ally Belarus in the European Neighbourhood Instrument cross-border cooperation programmes as well as in the Interreg Baltic Sea region programme.
The suspension has immediate effect.#StandWithUkraine
— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) March 4, 2022
Meanwhile, a poll posted by several Ukrainian media outlets said that 82% of Ukrainians believe their country can defeat Russia.
The survey, conducted by Gradus Research found that 63% of respondents said that Ukraine's military can win the war, while 61% believe it rests on the unity and resistance of the Ukrainian people.
Only 1% of respondents would agree to peace with Russia.
"Despite the abnormal level of stress, Ukrainians believe in their ability to repel Russia's invasion (82%) and that after the war Ukraine will become stronger (77%). The most common emotion felt by the population of Ukraine due to the full-scale military invasion of Russia is anger (62%)," a press release by Gradus Research said.
"As the main culprit in the war, Ukrainian society considers the leadership of the Russian Federation (46%), and another 40% tend to think that the guilty are leadership, political elites, and the people of Russia. Respondents
consider global isolation (70%) and economic isolation (65%) to be the main consequences of the war for Russia."
The results further show that "63% of responders trust the Armed Forces of Ukraine and it's the most
trusted institution by population. In second place - President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, volunteer organizations – third."
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