Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will hold a video call with US senators on Saturday as lawmakers work to pass a new aid package for Ukraine.

Senators from the Democratic and Republican parties received an invitation from the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States to hold a conversation with the Ukrainian president through a video call at 9:30 a.m. (local time in Washington), according to CNN.

It will be the first time that the full US Senate has held a virtual meeting with the Ukrainian president since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in late February.

The meeting comes at a time when the senators are working on a new aid package for Ukraine that would consist of providing the country with more funding for its defense against the Russian attack, as reported by ‘The Hill’.

On the other hand, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, explained this Friday that the conflict in Ukraine “will not end soon”, for which he has asked his allies to maintain a “firm response” to Russia until the Russian president ceases. war and withdraw troops from Ukraine.

“Tragically, the situation is not going to end soon, so we have to sustain and work on our efforts until the war is over, the Russian troops leave and the Ukrainian citizens regain their sovereignty,” he said in a statement after participating in this Friday at the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

For its part, Switzerland announced this Friday the entry into force of the commercial and financial sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, announced on Monday by the president, Ignazio Cassis.

The sanctions imposed by Switzerland are in line with the package of measures announced by the European Union that prohibit exports to Russia of dual-use goods, as well as any type of product that can contribute to the military and technological improvement of the Russian army, reported the Swiss government in a statement.

These products include all the materials and technology that can be used by the space and aeronautics industry. In this sense, the provision of services such as repair work, inspections, or brokerage services is not allowed.

As of today, any kind of financial assistance to Russia, including investments, as well as all transactions with the Russian Central Bank, is also prohibited.

The Alpine country is also aligned with the European Union in the precept adopted on Wednesday by which it was decided to expel seven Russian banks from the international messaging system for financial transactions, known as SWIFT.