EU will not ease Russia energy sanctions despite US diesel deal, von der Leyen says
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday that the EU will not ease sanctions on Russian fossil fuels, despite a recent U.S. agreement with Moscow on diesel imports. Speaking to EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, she stated that “Russia is not a trusted supplier of energy because it would, this is our experience, at any time weaponize energy dependencies to blackmail others.”
Von der Leyen recalled that Russia cut gas supplies to Europe, adding that “that is a lesson Europe certainly will not forget.” Her remarks follow an announcement earlier this month by U.S. President Donald Trump of an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease sanctions on diesel fuel imports until April 2027. Trump later defended the deal, claiming the EU also purchased billions in fossil fuels from Moscow. In her speech, von der Leyen also addressed trade with China, saying the European Commission will present a new deterrent tool as soon as December to restrict imports from countries seen as distorting the single market. She noted that “we see jobs lost in our industrial heartlands,” and said the EU will continue to seek deals with Beijing.
