Von der Leyen: Putin "never showed up" to his own peace talks, EU readies new sanctions
Source: EC - Audiovisual Service

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized the need to intensify sanctions against Russia following recent diplomatic developments. She made these statements on Friday at the European Political Community Summit in Albania.

"During the last days, we could all witness President Putin's true beliefs. He first called for a ceasefire around the 9 May celebrations, which he then never respected. Then Ukraine, with the support of the European Union and the United States, called for a full and unconditional ceasefire of 30 days, which President Putin then rejected. And finally, he proposed a meeting directly between Ukraine and Russia in Türkiye. President Zelenskyy was ready to meet, but President Putin never showed up. This shows that President Putin does not want peace. So we have to increase the pressure," von der Leyen stated.

The forthcoming sanctions package under consideration by the European Union will include measures against Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, a lower price cap on Russian oil, additional listings of vessels in Russia's "shadow fleet," and further sanctions targeting Russia's financial sector.

The European Union has already implemented 16 packages of sanctions against Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is now preparing to adopt the 17th package (which was agreed upon prior to the proposed talks in Türkiye).

"These sanctions are biting: Russia's oil and gas revenues have fallen by almost 80% compared to before the war; Russia's deficit is skyrocketing; interest rates are prohibitively high; inflation is on the rise, well above 10%. And we are ready to do more to bring President Putin to the negotiation table. Many of the speakers mentioned it, this war has to end," von der Leyen emphasized.

  • The previous 16th sanctions package was approved by the EU on February 24, 2025, marking the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
  • In early May, European leaders urged Russia to agree to a ceasefire and warned of coordinated sanctions with the United States if Moscow refused. French President Macron specifically stated on May 13 that new sanctions against Russia would be implemented "in the coming days in close cooperation with the United States" if Moscow rejected the ceasefire proposal.
  • Ukraine has advocated for oil sanctions against Russia during a period of falling oil prices to maximize economic impact.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.