European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged stronger sanctions and defence support for Ukraine as the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia nears approval.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday called for increased pressure on Russia through new sanctions and expanded military aid for Ukraine, as the European Union's 18th sanctions package edges closer to finalisation.
Speaking in Aarhus alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and European Council President Antonio Costa, von der Leyen welcomed Denmark's rotating EU Council presidency. "As a first achievement of your presidency, you can bring the 18th package to the finish line. I'm confident that this will be possible," she said.
"We all know that President Putin does not want peace, so we need to put pressure on him to come to the negotiation table. The 18th sanctions package is biting at the heart of Russia's war economy," von der Leyen added.
She also reiterated the EU's military support for Ukraine, pledging two million artillery shells by the end of 2025 and €2.1 billion in new defence aid, funded through windfall profits from frozen Russian assets. "In practice, Russia is paying for the weapons Ukraine is using," she said.
Addressing potential vetoes on Ukraine's EU accession, von der Leyen stressed that the process remains merit-based. "Ukraine deserves all the merits to move on to open the first cluster. So, therefore, this is now intense talks going on," she said.
European Council President Antonio Costa expressed disappointment over Russia's refusal to engage with peace efforts. "While President Zelenskyy has already agreed on an unconditional ceasefire, Russia not only hasn't agreed but is even increasing the intensity of their aggression to Ukraine," he said.
Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen said the Danish presidency would aim for a "more powerful and decisive Europe," prepared to confront growing security threats. “It has been said that we live in the age of predators. In this age, Europe must not end up being the prey," she warned.
She also voiced hope that the U.S. would continue its support for Ukraine, adding, "But if there are any gaps, then I personally believe that we should be willing to fill in."
Frederiksen emphasised the urgency of accelerating the green transition to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian energy. "Every cent we sent to Russia is a support for Russia's war machine. We cannot continue paying them killing Europeans. We need to work hard to end all import of Russian gas," she said.
Costa reaffirmed the bloc's long-term commitment to Ukraine and expressed confidence in Denmark's leadership to advance accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans.
The European Union faced calls to implement a range of economic countermeasures in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs...
A new agreement between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces is set to reshape power arrangements in northeastern Syria....
Media accreditation has opened for the 13th session of the World Urban Forum, the United Nations’ flagship conference on sustainable urban developme...
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited the Alley of Martyrs to honour the memory of those killed on 20 January....
Six people have been killed after a massive fire tore through a shopping centre in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, authorities said, as firefighte...
The Kremlin has welcomed recent signals from several major European capitals suggesting a renewed openness to dialogue with Moscow, calling the shift a “positive evolution” in Europe’s stance towards Russia.
Georgia’s ruling party has launched a formal legal challenge against the BBC, accusing the British public broadcaster of spreading false, defamatory, and politically charged allegations.
At least four people were injured after a large fire and explosions hit a residential building in the Dutch city of Utrecht, authorities said.
Germany’s finance minister has urged a new era of “European patriotism” to protect the continent’s economic interests, calling for state-backed companies to retain jobs in Europe and for public spending to prioritise European-made goods.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday (17 January) that concerns over security in Greenland should be addressed within the framework of NATO, describing a ground military intervention as highly unlikely.
Ashley St. Clair, mother of one of Elon Musk’s children, has filed a lawsuit against Musk’s company xAI, alleging that its AI tool Grok generated explicit images of her, including one portraying her as underage.
Egypt and Sudan have welcomed an offer by U.S. President Donald Trump to restart mediation with Ethiopia in a bid to resolve the long-running dispute over Nile River water sharing.
Elon Musk is seeking up to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, arguing that the companies profited unfairly from his early support of the artificial intelligence firm, according to a court filing made public on Friday.
Poland plans to expand its armed forces to 500,000 by 2039, including 300,000 active-duty troops and 200,000 reservists, officials said Friday. The enlarged force would feature a new high-readiness reserve unit.
A new agreement between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces is set to reshape power arrangements in northeastern Syria.
The European Union faced calls to implement a range of economic countermeasures in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on eight European countries in connection with Greenland.
Six people have been killed after a massive fire tore through a shopping centre in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, authorities said, as firefighters battled through the night to contain the blaze.
The world is entering a more unstable and fragmented phase as global cooperation declines and rivalry between major powers intensifies, the World Economic Forum has warned.
The Trump administration has denied a report that countries would be required to pay $1bn to join a proposed U.S.-backed peace initiative, after Bloomberg News said a draft charter set out a membership fee.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment