The key facts

  • Von der Leyen: Russia did not honor the energy truce 'for a single minute' and escalated instead
  • The EU is preparing a 22nd sanctions package; no sanctions will be lifted until Moscow ends the war
  • Costa: now is not the time to weaken sanctions; support for Ukraine must be increased

Statements at the Brussels summit

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday, October 16, that Russia did not honor the energy truce announced by US President Donald Trump, and called for increased pressure on Moscow. 'Of course, we supported President Trump's energy truce, but we saw that Russia did not honor it, not for a single minute. Instead, Russia escalated, and therefore we must increase pressure on Russia,' she told journalists ahead of the second day of the EU summit in Brussels.

Context of the truce and sanctions

On Sunday, Trump said that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate cessation of strikes on each other's energy infrastructure. Von der Leyen also said that the EU is working on a 22nd package of sanctions against Russia, emphasizing that the bloc 'will not lift a single sanction until Moscow ends the war'.

Support for Ukraine

According to von der Leyen, EU leaders will discuss Ukraine's preparations for winter, as well as the country's financial, budgetary and military needs for 2026 and 2027. President of the European Council Antonio Costa, for his part, confirmed the EU's commitment to Ukraine, saying that support remains 'as strong as ever'. 'Now is not the time to withdraw support from Ukraine. Now is not the time to weaken sanctions against Russia. Now is the time to step up our support, to increase our pressure,' he said. According to him, this is necessary to force Russia to accept a genuine truce, sit down at the negotiating table and stop the war.