As Moscow launches a massive offensive in eastern Ukraine, a virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and key US allies took place on Tuesday.
The United States and the European Union had “reached a broad consensus on the need to increase pressure on the Kremlin, particularly by adopting new sanctions,” the Italian government said on Tuesday evening. The allies also agree on the need to “enhance Moscow’s international isolation,” the government said in a statement.
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The Italian announcement was confirmed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a tweet: “We will once again strengthen our sanctions against Russia.” This position was taken during a virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and the United States’ key allies , dedicated to the Russian offensive in Ukraine, at a time when Moscow in Donbass unleashed a new phase of its attack.
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 and the Presidents of the European Commission and Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, also took part in the call.
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In addition, during this video conference “the joint commitment to diversify energy sources by reducing dependence on Russian supplies was reaffirmed,” according to the Italian government’s press release. This virtual meeting came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched a major offensive in eastern Ukraine on Monday, a new strategic target for Russian forces following their withdrawal from the Kyiv region. Part of this Ukrainian territory has been in the hands of pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
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