The US and its allies want to increase the pressure on the Kremlin with new sanctions.
After a videoconference meeting between US President Joe Biden and key US allies on the war in Ukraine, a broad consensus was found on the need to increase pressure on the Kremlin, particularly through the adoption of new sanctions, the Italian government announced on Tuesday evening.
The allies also agree on the need to “strengthen Moscow’s international isolation,” the government said in a statement. The Italian announcement then was confirmed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a tweet: We will tighten our sanctions against Russia again. »
The video conference brought together French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Boris Johnson, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, Romania’s Klaus Iohannis, Poland’s Andrzej Duda, Italy’s Mario Draghi, Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Japan’s Fumio Kishida. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel also took part in the call.
In a statement, Mr. Stoltenberg also confirmed that the participants agreed “that it is important to make Moscow pay even more” for its invasion of Ukraine. According to the French presidency, Westerners are determined to “in every way step up their support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression,” particularly through “new sanctions against Russia if it remains at war.”
They also agreed that persuasion work has to be done [leurs] Partners among countries outside the G7 and the EU that this crisis threatens international peace and security and is not just a regional crisis or only affecting Western stakeholders,” said the Elysée, with particular reference to China. The White House spokeswoman For her part, Jen Psaki said attendees discussed their coordinated efforts to continue incurring significant economic costs to hold Russia accountable for its actions.
In addition, according to the Italian government’s statement, “the joint commitment to diversifying energy sources and thereby reducing dependence on Russian supplies was reaffirmed”.