EU pledges to maintain sanctions pressure on Russia
Photo: António Costa, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Ursula von der Leyen (Getty Images)
European Union leaders have publicly assured that sanctions against Russia will under no circumstances be eased, despite the actions of the United States, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
Their statements came amid decisions by US President Donald Trump to ease sanctions pressure on Russia and limit aid to Ukraine.
"Of course, we supported President Trump's energy ceasefire. But we've seen that Russia did not respect it, not a single minute. Instead, Russia escalated, and therefore we have to increase the pressure on Russia," von der Leyen emphasizes.
Costa also ruled out the possibility of easing sanctions pressure on Russia.
"Our message to President Zelenskyy is very simple. The support of the European Union to Ukraine remains as strong as ever. This is no time to withdraw the support to Ukraine. This is no time to relieve Russia's sanctions. Now it's time to increase our support. To increase our pressure. And this is essential to bring Russia to accept a real ceasefire, to bring Russia to the table of negotiations and to stop this war. This is time for peace. This is not time to continue the war," he says.
The European Union recently approved the largest expansion of its sanctions list against Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine—nearly 1,600 new entries.
