[Jimbuna]

EU will continue to refuse Russian gas, - von der Leyen

The EU will continue to implement the plan to abandon Russian gas to achieve energy independence from Russia.

This was stated by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Censor.NET reports citing The Guardian.

She emphasized the need to avoid possible loopholes to circumvent sanctions.

According to her, the European Union remains committed to the plan to completely cut off Russian gas supplies.

Speaking in Brussels, she emphasized the importance of gradually phasing out Russian energy, noting that it is "absolutely necessary" to ensure the EU's energy independence.

"We have made progress, but we always see, of course, that there are loopholes that we have to be careful with and work on," von der Leyen added, pointing to the need for further work to ensure the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3540165

Decision on EU’s role in peace agreement will be found in cooperation with Ukraine, - von der Leyen

The decision on security guarantees from the European Union in a future peace agreement for Ukraine will be found in close cooperation with the Ukrainian side.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this at a press conference in Brussels on Sunday, answering journalists' questions about whether Ukraine has an accurate idea of what Europe can provide in any peace agreement ahead of the talks in Saudi Arabia next week, Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

As you know, one of the elements of US President Donald Trump' s position on securing peace for Ukraine is that security guarantees should be provided by European countries.

Von der Leyen stated that the relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team is "very close, and based on trust that has grown over the past three years.

We've been through some difficult and delicate situations, so we know that we can rely on each other in a crisis or emergency, and that we can find a solution in most cases. Not always, but in most cases we find solutions by working very, very closely together," she explained the state of relations with Kyiv.

The President of the European Commission expressed hope that the negotiations between Kyiv and Washington would lead to a just and lasting peace.

"For example, negotiations on security guarantees. The strongest guarantee of security, of course, would be NATO membership, but at the moment it is impossible. Then the second element, the most important one, is a well-equipped, functioning Ukrainian army and armed forces. And then we can move on to the details. So, we have a lot of very fruitful discussions and, as I say in English, it is a normal learning process also because again, these are uncharted waters and we have to find the best solution together," von der Leyen explained.

Commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to extend a "nuclear umbrella" to interested EU countries, the President of the European Commission stated that this issue is a national competence of the countries. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3540151