Original Coverage & Source Attribution: defence24.com
Photo. X / @vonderleyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared on Friday that the European Union will not lift any sanctions until Russia ends the war. She added that work is already underway on the 22nd package of sanctions against Russia in connection with its war against Ukraine.
Von der Leyen made the statement alongside European Council President Antonio Costa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending the EU summit in Brussels. The EC President recalled that the Union had supported US President Donald Trump’s proposal regarding the suspension of attacks on energy infrastructure. „But we see that Russia has not complied with it for even a minute. Instead, it has escalated its actions, which is why we must increase the pressure on it,” von der Leyen emphasised.
She added that the EU is currently working on the next, 22nd package of sanctions against Moscow. „One thing is absolutely clear: we will not lift any sanctions until Russia ends the war,” she assured.
In opposition to Trump
Ursula von der Leyen’s words stand in some contrast to the recent actions of US President Donald Trump, who has eased the sanctions policy towards Russia. It should be recalled that following the recent conversation between the American president and Vladimir Putin, it has been made easier for Russia to supply diesel fuel to the global market.
„At the direction of President Trump, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued, effective immediately, a temporary general licence allowing for the delivery of Russian diesel fuel to the global market,” the US Treasury Department announced on its account on the X platform last week. This decision means that the bypassing of these sanctions will continue until as late as 7 April next year.
