The EU will impose new sanctions on Russia’s military and political leaders, targeting Kremlin distractions and including additional export sanctions against Russia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.
Details of the upcoming sanctions package came as a surprise, as the European Commission has yet to share details of the package with EU countries. The original idea was to adopt the package before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“We have to do more,” von der Leyen told a news conference. “We are supporting Ukraine to win this war.”
Von der Leyen, standing alongside European Council President Charles Michael and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who earlier addressed EU lawmakers, said the commission would propose new measures in the coming days.
“Russia must pay for the destruction and bloodshed,” he said.
The commission will propose new sanctions on “several military and political leaders” and also target Russian disinformation. “We will target Putin’s propagandists, because their lies are poisoning the public space in Russia and abroad,” the commission chief said.
Finally, “the package will include additional export sanctions, worth more than €10 billion. This will further starve Russia’s military machine and shake the foundations of its economy.”
Earlier this month, European Union countries agreed to set global price limits for Russian petroleum products.