Russia ‘has shown full extent of contempt for diplomacy and law,’ EU’s von der Leyen says
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said in her statement that Russia “has shown the full extent of its contempt for diplomacy and international law” over the last month, as she criticised the largest-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
She specifically referenced the Russian strikes on Kyiv that hit the EU office in the capital, and Russian drone incursions into Poland and Romania.
These are not the actions of someone who wants peace.
The 19th package of sanctions comes in response to this “escalation” from Putin, she explained, as she outlined the key elements of what’s being proposed.
She says the EU will “want to cut” Russia’s revenues from fossil fuels, banning imports of Russian LNG into European markets.
118 additional vessels from the Russian shadow fleet will get added to the sanction list, which totals 560 vessels.
She added that “major energy trading companies Rosneft and Gazpromneft will now be on a full transaction ban,” and “other companies will also come under asset freeze.”
Crucially, the new package will also target “refiners, oil traders, petrochemical companies in third countries, including China” who are alleged to be “purchasing oil in breach of the sanctions.”
“In three years, Russia’s oil revenues in Europe have gone down by 90%. We are now turning that page for good,” she said.
The package will also look at closing “the financial looppholes,” von der Leyen said, adding that it will bring forward “a transaction ban on additional banks in Russia and on banks in third countries.”
“We are stepping up our crackdown on circumvention. As evasion tactics grow more sophisticated, our sanctions will adapt to stay ahead. Therefore, for the first time, our restrictive measures will hit crypto platforms, and prohibit transactions in crypto currencies. We are listing foreign banks connected to Russian alternative payment service systems. And we are restricting transactions with entities in special economic zones.”
The package will also “add new direct export restrictions for items and technologies used on the battlefield,” with 45 companies in Russia and third countries to be affected.
“These companies have been providing direct or indirect support to the Russian military industrial complex. In a war driven by innovation, cutting off Russia’s access to key technologies is crucial. Above all when it comes to drones,” she said.
Von der Leyen also said that while Russian frozen assets “will not be touched,” Ukraine will get reparations loans, to be repaid by future Russian repearations. “We will come forward with a proposal soon,” she said.
“Faced with Russia’s escalation, Europe stepped up to the challenge. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to bring this brutal war to an end.
I now call on the Member States to quickly endorse these new sanctions.
We want Russia to leave the battlefield and come to the negotiating table. This is the way to give peace a real chance.”
Key events
Italy sees union strikes in solidarity with Palestine
Lorenzo Tondo
in Palermo
Italy’s largest trade union confederation, together with several grassroots labour groups, has called a two-day nationwide strike to protest against what organisers describe as “the massacre and deportation of the Palestinian people.”
It marks the second national strike in solidarity with Palestine in Europe, following a similar action held in Spain in September 2024.
The strike is set to take place on Friday and again on Monday, bringing disruption and closures to schools, rail services, ports and other sectors across both public and private industries.
Hundreds of rallies and sit-ins are expected to be held in cities throughout the country.
“We believe what is happening is of unprecedented gravity,” read a statement on the CGIL union’s website. “This logic of force and rearmament is a real threat to the rights of all people and to democracy worldwide.”
CGIL’s secretary, Maurizio Landini, said the protest aimed “to create humanitarian corridors, to ensure the safety of the civilian population, and to support all ongoing humanitarian missions, including the Global Sumud Flotilla.”
“At the same time,” he added, “we demand that governments – our own, European, and beyond – suspend all commercial and military cooperation agreements with Israel until this war and this massacre in Gaza are brought to an end.”
Meanwhile, the Adriatic port of Ravenna on Thursday refused entry to two trucks reportedly carrying arms bound for Israel, amid growing protests by Italian dockworkers and other labour groups against the offensive in Gaza.
Similar actions have been taken by port workers in France, Sweden and Greece, who have moved to block weapons shipments destined for Israel.
Salvini’s embrace with Russian ambassador, comments on Israel land him in political controversy
Lorenzo Tondo
in Palermo
In other news, Italian far-right deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, has sparked a political storm in the last 48 hours after first embracing and greeting Russia’s ambassador to Italy, then declaring in a television interview that he supports Israel’s right to defend itself.
Despite Italy being a staunch supporter of Ukraine, Matteo Salvini on Tuesday warmly greeted Russia’s ambassador to Italy, Alexei Paramonov, during a reception at the Chinese embassy in Rome – a gesture that drew sharp criticism from opposition parties.
Davide Faraone, vice-president of Italia Viva, said:
“It’s a problem for Italy when Salvini embraces the Russian ambassador while our military is engaged in repelling Russian drones in Poland.”
Salvini, who in the past was seen wearing a T-shirt featuring Vladimir Putin’s face, defended the encounter: “I met the Russian ambassador, as I have met dozens of other ambassadors,” he said.
Less than 24 hours later, he drew more attention after he insisted in an interview with Israel’s i24News channel on Thursday that Israel “has the right to ensure a peaceful future for itself”.
He added: “I speak as Matteo Salvini, as leader of my party and a member of the government. I cannot speak for everyone, but from my point of view, defending Israel – Israel’s right to life – means defending freedom and democracy. Therefore, Israel has every right to ensure a peaceful future.”
Salvini’s remarks come as Rome considers possible sanctions against Tel Aviv following Israel’s new offensive in Gaza, raising the risk of embarrassment for the Italian government.
In July, Salvini received the Italy–Israel Award, with Israel’s ambassador in Rome, Jonathan Peled, praising him for having “the courage to publicly take courageous and often disruptive positions”.
“If anyone deserves recognition for his efforts to strengthen the strategic bond between Italy and Israel, it is Matteo Salvini,” Peled said at the time.
Proposed sanctions will still need to be approved by member states — snap analysis
Jakub Krupa
On the ‘next steps’ here, it’s worth remembering that the sanctions proposed by the commission today will still need to be discuss and approved by the member states.
Usually, this requires unanimity among all member states, throwing a spotlight on Hungary and Slovakia’s reactions in particular, as they have a history of blocking or delaying proposed measures.
However, the legal basis of some individual elements of the package, such as reparation loans, is yet to be fully clarified. Most likely they will also need unanimity, but this will surely be confirmed in due course.
But the key point here is that this is the starting point, not the final product.
There will be a technical process of agreeing and implementing these proposals, and their final shape may still evolve. One to watch.
‘Any source of income for Kremlin to continue its aggression is target’ for EU sanctions, Kallas says
In her statement, EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed that the bloc’s “sanctions bite” and “have a visible impact on Russia’s public finance and economic growth.”
Any source of income for the Kremlin to continue its aggression is a target.
She listed many of the measures mentioned by von der Leyen (14:14) as she said:
“Today we propose a full transaction ban on Russian banks and financial institutions, including those operating in third countries. We also propose adding large economic operators involved in the circumvention of sanctions, revenue generation and support for the Russian military industry, as well as the Russian credit card system and fast payments system.
We are also proposing a ban on investments in Russian Special Economic Zones linked to the war. And we propose further measures on Chinese actors supporting Russia’s military industry.”
On the crucial issue of energy exports, she offered a bit more detail, saying that the EU will propose a “full prohibition of Russian LNG imports by January 2027,” and will “lift remaining exemptions on Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.”
“These new sanctions will also squeeze Russia’s access to technologies including AI and geospatial data, as well as critical resources that feed weapons production. This includes those received from foreign suppliers including China and India,” she said.
She also said the package will include new measures against “individuals involved in the abduction and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.”
Kallas stressed:
“Europe wants peace for Ukraine.
But despite weeks of diplomatic efforts, Russia only intensifies its aggression and is now breaching the European Union’s own borders. Depriving Moscow of the means to wage war is essential to end this war and protect the security of our continent.
Russia’s aggression cannot continue unchecked.
Our message is clear: We will intensify pressure on Russia with increasingly hard-hitting sanctions, coupled with military support for Ukraine, until Russia accepts a genuine, just and lasting peace.”
Doubling down on her main warning, Kallas added on X:
We want to strike where Russia gets its money. No sector is off-limits.
EU wants to bring forward phase out of Russian LNG imports by 2027
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas specified that the new package includes a proposal to bring the EU’s ban on Russian LNG imports by one year, to 1 January 2027, in a bid to put further pressure on Russia.
The move is likely to face some opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, and potentially even some of the other countries still importing Russian gas (12:34).
Russia ‘has shown full extent of contempt for diplomacy and law,’ EU’s von der Leyen says
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said in her statement that Russia “has shown the full extent of its contempt for diplomacy and international law” over the last month, as she criticised the largest-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
She specifically referenced the Russian strikes on Kyiv that hit the EU office in the capital, and Russian drone incursions into Poland and Romania.
These are not the actions of someone who wants peace.
The 19th package of sanctions comes in response to this “escalation” from Putin, she explained, as she outlined the key elements of what’s being proposed.
She says the EU will “want to cut” Russia’s revenues from fossil fuels, banning imports of Russian LNG into European markets.
118 additional vessels from the Russian shadow fleet will get added to the sanction list, which totals 560 vessels.
She added that “major energy trading companies Rosneft and Gazpromneft will now be on a full transaction ban,” and “other companies will also come under asset freeze.”
Crucially, the new package will also target “refiners, oil traders, petrochemical companies in third countries, including China” who are alleged to be “purchasing oil in breach of the sanctions.”
“In three years, Russia’s oil revenues in Europe have gone down by 90%. We are now turning that page for good,” she said.
The package will also look at closing “the financial looppholes,” von der Leyen said, adding that it will bring forward “a transaction ban on additional banks in Russia and on banks in third countries.”
“We are stepping up our crackdown on circumvention. As evasion tactics grow more sophisticated, our sanctions will adapt to stay ahead. Therefore, for the first time, our restrictive measures will hit crypto platforms, and prohibit transactions in crypto currencies. We are listing foreign banks connected to Russian alternative payment service systems. And we are restricting transactions with entities in special economic zones.”
The package will also “add new direct export restrictions for items and technologies used on the battlefield,” with 45 companies in Russia and third countries to be affected.
“These companies have been providing direct or indirect support to the Russian military industrial complex. In a war driven by innovation, cutting off Russia’s access to key technologies is crucial. Above all when it comes to drones,” she said.
Von der Leyen also said that while Russian frozen assets “will not be touched,” Ukraine will get reparations loans, to be repaid by future Russian repearations. “We will come forward with a proposal soon,” she said.
“Faced with Russia’s escalation, Europe stepped up to the challenge. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to bring this brutal war to an end.
I now call on the Member States to quickly endorse these new sanctions.
We want Russia to leave the battlefield and come to the negotiating table. This is the way to give peace a real chance.”
Here we go: we are now getting more details on the 19th package of sanctions, via Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Jakub Krupa
We are still waiting for the announcement on when we will get more detail on the 19th sanctions package.
von der Leyen’s much-promised statement is still not even listed on the EU’s EBS service.
China, India and Belarus line up for Russia’s rival version of Eurovision
Pjotr Sauer
Meanwhile, Russia is gearing up to revive its Soviet-era alternative to Eurovision – the Intervision song contest – which begins in Moscow on Saturday, with performers from 23, mostly allied, countries to take the stage.
But sequinned bodysuits, camp theatrics and Europop bangers will be in short supply. Instead, the Kremlin’s version of the spectacle promises “traditional values”, patriotic ballads and a Russian entry led by a fiercely pro-war singer, as Moscow attempts to refashion Europe’s glitter-soaked pageant in its own image.
Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Three years on, the president, Vladimir Putin, has signed a decree to revive Intervision, clearing the way for its first edition since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Participants will include members of the Brics bloc – China, India, Brazil and South Africa – as well as post-Soviet allies such as Belarus and several states in central Asia. The show will be hosted by the Chinese showman Lay (real name Meng Lei) and the Indian actor Stefy Patel, billed as the contest’s “international pair” of presenters.
Eight EU countries believed to be importing Russian gas
EU energy spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen also offered a bit more detail on which EU countries still import Russian gas via pipelines or LNG, with a caveat that the bloc doesn’t have the data on where it ends up being ultimately used.
She confirmed that eight EU countries are in that group: Belgium, France, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain.
This is important as comes amid growing frustration from US president Donald Trump on this issue as he keeps pressing the EU and Nato countries to completely cease all energy imports from Russia.
But we won’t know all the details about the new sanctions for a bit, it seems.
The press statements from von der Leyen and Kallas are expected “early afternoon,” but still to be confirmed, Pinho says, and there won’t be a detailed briefing on the measures until the final text is finalised.
But we should get the headline measures this afternoon. I will keep an eye out for this.
European Commission puts forward new package of sanctions against Russia
The European Commission had adopted a new package of sanctions against Russia, the commission’s chief spokesperson Paula Pinho has just confirmed.
Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will set out details in a press statement later today, she said.
EU to propose bringing Russian LNG ban forward to 2027 – sources
Reuters is reporting that the European Commission will propose banning Russian LNG imports by 1 January 2027, a year earlier than planned, as part of a 19th package of sanctions against Moscow, EU sources said.
‘No evidence’ Putin wants peace in Ukraine, outgoing MI6 chief warns
Meanwhile, the outgoing MI6 chief Richard Moore warned that he sees “no evidence” that Russian president Vladimir Putin has any interest in a negotiated peace short of Ukrainian capitulation, Reuters reported.
Speaking in Istanbul, he said that Putin was “stringing us along” with promises of progress on peace, AP added.
“He seeks to impose his imperial will by all means at his disposal. But he cannot succeed,” Moore said.
“Bluntly, Putin has bitten off more than he can chew. He thought he was going to win an easy victory. But he – and many others – underestimated the Ukrainians.”
“Putin has sought to convince the world that Russian victory is inevitable. But he lies. He lies to the world. He lies to his people. Perhaps he even lies to himself,” he told a news conference.
He said that Putin was “mortgaging his country’s future for his own personal legacy and a distorted version of history” and the war was “accelerating this decline.”
Moore will leave the post at the end of the month
EU leaders get invite to meet in Copenhagen for talks on defence, Ukraine
Meanwhile, EU leaders have just received a formal invitation to their informal meeting of the European Council in Copenhagen on 1 October.
The European Council president, António Costa, said in a letter that the meeting will be focused on “strengthening European common defence readiness and reinforcing our support for Ukraine,” also in the context of Russia’s recent airspace violations in Poland and Romania.
The leaders are expected to discuss how they can meet the 2030 defence readiness targets, and see what else can be done to support Ukraine, including a chat on the EU accession pathway.
The invite comes on the back of Costa’s tour of 23 EU countries in the last few weeks – four ar still on his list – as he wanted to get an idea of what makes the capitals tick and what they are most interested in getting done through the EU.
His spokesperson said that while “perspective may differ … all leaders converge on the need to build faster, a more strategically autonomous Europe, equipped with the tools and processes to be more self-reliant.”
There will be also another European Council at the end of October, but this time in Brussels.
Morning opening: New EU sanctions on Russia could come today
Jakub Krupa
The European Union is expected to unveil the latest, 19th, package of sanctions against Russia today, which the commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said would target crypto, banks, and energy, among others.
The EU is also reportedly looking at imposing sanctions on companies in China and India helping Russia’s oil trade, as reported previously by Bloomberg (£).
The move comes amid growing pressure from the US president, Donald Trump, for the bloc to also accelerate its plans to phase out Russian oil.
Speaking alongside UK prime minister Keir Starmer, he said yesterday that the was “to do other things” to help Europeans push back against Russia, but “not when the people that I’m fighting for are buying oil from Russia”.
“You can’t [do that], that’s not playing fair with the United States, and we can’t have that,” he says.
Let’s see if the sanctions indeed come today, and what are the details.
It’s Friday, 19 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
