The President of the European Commission announced on Wednesday that the tenth package of sanctions against Russia for its military aggression against Ukraine will for the first time cover Iranian entities, including those linked to the Revolutionary Guards, for their “cruel” support of the Kremlin.
Ursula von der Leyen said before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, during a debate on “the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion and offensive war” in Ukraine, set for February 24, that the European Union “will continue to weaken Russia’s ability to maintain its war machine,” revealing some of the sanctions under consideration in the tenth package, which is currently being discussed with member states.
Unveiled, the new package, which will have a global impact of about €11 billion, includes “new trade bans and new controls on the export of technology to Russia”, namely “restrictions on the export of multiple electronic components used in armed systems”. “. Russians – like drones, missiles, helicopters”.
“But there are also hundreds of Iranian drones used by Russia on the battlefields in Ukraine. These Iranian-made drones are killing Ukrainian civilians, and that is horrific. The Revolutionary Guards It is our duty to punish them and confront Iran about the delivery of drones and the transfer of ‘know-how’ for the construction of production sites in Russia,” he stated.
Von der Leyen took stock of the Union’s response to nearly a year of conflict, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin “assumed EU support for Ukraine would not last” as he judged that “it would be easy would be to hold Europe as a hostage, because of its dependence on Russian oil and gas”, pointing out that “it was wrong here too”.
“Today, one year after the start of the war, he has already lost the energy war he started. We have repositioned ourselves, thanks to trusted partners, and the results are visible. Russia’s revenue from gas sales to Europe is up by two-thirds. The oil price cap means Russia is losing €160 million in revenue every day. Gas prices in Europe today are lower than before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Europe is now investing in clean energy and energy independence like never before,” he pointed out.
“With European unity and a smart energy policy, we resisted Russian pressure and freed ourselves from our energy dependency. Our economy is performing significantly better than expected today and at the beginning of the week we managed to revise our growth forecasts upwards Rather, the Kremlin needs to sell gold reserves to fill the gaps left by the lack of oil revenues. Putin’s attempt to blackmail Europe using energy has failed across the board,” he added.
Recalling the night of February 24, 2022, when the world watched in disbelief as Russian tanks entered Ukrainian territory and war returned to Europe, von der Leyen repeatedly praised “the courage of the Ukrainian nation” and stressed the support the EU has given to Kiev since the first moments of the conflict, and that lasts for almost a year.
“What a difference a year of unity and determination can make. In the early hours of February 24, when Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, an entire continent held its breath. Some predicted that Ukraine would fall within days. But instead the legendary courage of the Ukrainian people has amazed the world,” he said.
“We will never be able to match the sacrifice and courage of the Ukrainian people. But we can stand firmly by their side. And that’s what we did. An entire continent was mobilized,” he said, extending all the support of viewed the Union. to Ukraine at the most diverse levels, which already total EUR 67 billion.
Referring also to the European ambitions of Ukraine, a country to which the EU granted candidate country status for accession in June last year, Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the fact that Ukrainians manage to “make tangible progress every day while make war”.
“They know that joining our Union is a merit-based process. They have made legislative reforms that others thought would take years. They are making these progress because they fight for Europe with all their heart and soul. Ukraine is not just a nation defined by its history and heritage. It is a nation defined by its dreams. And Europe is one of those dreams. Let’s honor these dreams by defending Ukraine as long as possible. So that one day the representatives of the Ukraine people will also have your place in this house,” he said, ending his speech before the European Parliament.
Source: DN
