The EU has ruled out the possibility of easing sanctions against russia

They made these remarks to journalists on Friday ahead of the European Council meeting, according to a correspondent for “European Pravda” reporting from Brussels.

The statements by European officials came against the backdrop of decisions by the US administration to ease sanctions pressure and restrict aid to Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, however, stressed that the “diesel deal” must not be used as a pretext for this.

“Of course, we supported the energy truce announced by President Trump. But we can see that russia has not adhered to it for a single moment. Instead, russia has escalated the situation,” she explained.

“We must step up the pressure on russia,” von der Leyen emphasised.

Similarly, European Council President António Costa ruled out the possibility of easing pressure on russia.

“Our message is very simple: the EU’s support is now stronger than ever. This is not the time to withdraw any support for Ukraine, nor is it the time to ease sanctions against russia. On the contrary, now is the time to step up support and increase the pressure to force russia to agree to a genuine ceasefire,” said Costa.

“Let me be absolutely clear: we will not lift any sanctions until russia ends the war,” added Ursula von der Leyen.

Source: European Pravda