Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that EU leaders agreed to impose more sanctions against Russia.
Speaking at a joint press conference with EU Council President Charles Michel after the special meeting of the EU Council, she stressed that bloc members agree on planned sanctions in principle, the EC noted in a statement on Tuesday.
Von der Leyen noted that the EU will ban nearly 90% of Russian oil imports this year and pointed out that the EU Council is to finalise the plan as bloc members agreed in principle.
“This is an important step forward,” she pointed out and added “we will soon return to the issue of the remaining 10% of pipeline oil.”
Von der Leyen noted that the sixth package of sanctions includes more than just the oil embargo. She stressed that the measures target Sberbank, the largest Russian bank, which will be kicked off SWIFT financial communication platform.
“And, very important, there is the suspension of broadcasting in the EU of three further Russian state outlets that were very typically spreading broadly the misinformation that we have witnessed over the last weeks and months,” she stated.
Commenting on Ukraine, von der Leyen stressed that the country needs financial support to pay wages, pensions and maintain basic services.
EC’s rebuilding plan
She added that the country will need to be rebuilt after the war, stressing the importance of organising this well and adding that the EU will invest.
Von der Leyen pointed out that the EC proposed to create a platform to facilitate with coordination of international initiatives “be it from the OECD, or the G20, or the IMF, or the World Bank, the European efforts, the ones from our American friends, for example.”
She stressed that “investment comes with reform” and pointed out that the EC wants Ukraine to reform is judiciary, administrative capacity and build a better environment for businesses.
Von der Leyen stressed that the EC wants Ukraine to step up its fight against corruption and concluded that we should “stand together to give Ukraine a fair chance to rise from the ashes and to be able to really leapfrog forward what reconstruction is concerned in investment, but also in the improvement of the state of Ukraine.”
