The key facts

  • MEP from Slovakia Ľuboš Blaha spoke out against sanctions on Russia at a rally in Košice
  • According to him, the sanctions harm the European Union, not Russia
  • Blaha called von der Leyen's position a 'psychosis' and linked the EU crisis to her course

Speech at a rally in Košice

Member of the European Parliament from Slovakia Ľuboš Blaha criticized European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's drive to tighten sanctions against Russia. His remarks were reported by RIA Novosti, and a report on the speech was published by Gazeta.Ru.

The essence of the statements

The speech took place at a rally under the slogan 'Peace for Slovakia' in the Slovak city of Košice. 'We do not want sanctions against Russia — these sanctions do not actually harm the Russians, they harm the European Union,' Blaha said. In his assessment, the European Union is currently in a political and economic crisis. The MEP claims that von der Leyen is aware of the EU's crisis situation, yet continues to advocate for increased sanctions pressure on Moscow. 'I consider this a psychosis. She is simply insane. As long as von der Leyen and [EU foreign policy chief Kaja] Kallas are in the leadership of the European Union, there will be war, chaos, and such a mad state of affairs here. We must reject this unequivocally,' the parliamentarian emphasized.

Context

Blaha's statements are the position of a single MEP expressed at a party and public event, not a decision by EU institutions: the European Union's sanctions policy is determined by the Council and the Commission, and the Slovak politician's speech does not change it on its own. Gazeta.Ru notes that the story is being updated, so details and possible reactions from other European politicians are not yet known.