EU vows to maintain pressure on Russia as bloc prepares major new sanctions
Photo: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas (flickr.com/photos.valstskanceleja)
It is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won’t. EU foreign ministers will approve the largest-ever sanctions package targeting Russia’s war machine on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated.
According to Kallas, more than 80 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in Russian strikes over the past two days alone.
At the same time, Moscow has stepped up its hybrid attacks directly against Europe, targeting both EU member states and NATO allies.
She also noted that suspending sanctions on Russian diesel fuel gives Russia additional revenue to fund its war.
The European Union has made it clear that it has no plans to ease sanctions pressure on Russia.
"This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won’t," the EU foreign policy chief stressed.
She added that EU foreign ministers would meet on Monday to approve the largest sanctions package since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The measures target Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Earlier, the decision by US President Donald Trump’s administration to allow purchases of Russian diesel for six months drew sharp criticism from Democratic senators, who called it a betrayal of Ukraine and America’s European allies.
Kyiv has also warned of the serious consequences of such moves. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stressed that Russia uses revenue from petroleum products to finance its war, produce weapons and continue its terror campaign against civilians.
