Von der Leyen: EU will not lift sanctions until Russia stops the war

EU leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Brussels to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine and continued support for Kyiv, amid worsening relations between Ukraine and the United States.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would not lift any sanctions until Russia stops the war. She said Moscow had violated an energy ceasefire and escalated its attacks instead.

The talks also cover preparations for Ukraine’s winter and its path towards EU membership. Von der Leyen said two more negotiating clusters were due to open by the end of the year.

EU discusses winter support

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the situation in Ukraine as “really grave” and said she saw no signs that Russia was ready for a truce or peace. She stressed the need to help Ukraine get through the winter, defend itself and maintain its energy supply.

European Council President António Costa said EU support for Ukraine remained strong. He called for sanctions to stay in place, saying pressure was needed to bring Russia towards a real ceasefire and negotiations.

Zelenskyy thanked European leaders for their backing and said Ukraine wanted the war to end as soon as possible, but saw no corresponding signals from Russia. He said preparations were needed for winter energy and defence challenges.

Frozen Russian assets

Kallas said EU leaders were expected to revisit the issue of frozen Russian assets. She said the bloc would not return them unless Russia paid reparations to Ukraine.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin called for a European response to Ukraine’s urgent needs, including opening accession clusters and deploying the planned €90bn loan to Kyiv as soon as possible. He also urged continued European outreach to the United States and sustained pressure on Russia.