The EU is preparing new sanctions against Russia over attacks on energy infrastructure

The European Union is preparing another package of sanctions against Russia in response to continued Russian attacks, particularly on energy infrastructure. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced increased pressure, saying that Russia had failed to observe the proposed energy truce and had instead intensified its aggression.

She set out this position during a joint press briefing with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the president of the European Council, António Costa. European countries supported the initiative by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to halt strikes on energy facilities.

“Of course, we support President Trump’s initiative to halt energy strikes. But we have seen that Russia did not observe it for a single minute. On the contrary, Russia has intensified its aggression, and therefore we must increase pressure on Russia,” said Ursula von der Leyen.

The head of the European Commission directly linked the possibility of lifting the sanctions already imposed to the end of Russia’s war:

“We will not lift any sanctions until Russia ends the war,” Ursula von der Leyen stressed.

For his part, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Kyiv is keen to end the war as soon as possible. At the same time, he said, Moscow is not currently showing readiness for negotiations that could lead to a cessation of hostilities.

Under these circumstances, Ukraine and its European partners have focused on preparing for winter. The president outlined the components of a special assistance package:

“That is why we must prepare for winter. The ‘Winter Package’ includes not only energy, but also air defense and funding,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained.

Ukraine expects to continue cooperating with the EU in these areas: the assistance is intended to protect energy infrastructure, strengthen air defense, and ensure the country’s financial stability over the winter. The funding provided for in the package will be additional.

Zelenskyy also thanked the leadership of the European Union for the assistance Ukraine has received since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and stressed the importance of maintaining this support.