Von der Leyen estimates the value of the sanctions that the EU finalizes on the anniversary of the war at 11,000 million

BRUSELAS, 15 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has assured this Wednesday that the new package of sanctions that the European Union finalizes against the Vladimir Putin regime on the anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine will have an impact of 11,000 million euros, with measures that include restrictions on exports of key technologies for Russian weapons but that will also be directed against Iran for its support for Russia.

"We will never live up to the sacrifices and courage of the Ukrainian people, but we can remain firm by their side," Von der Leyen proclaimed in a speech before the plenary session of the European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg (France), before reviewing the financial, military and political support for Kiev and stress the bloc's commitment to Ukrainian integration into the community club.

"One year after (the invasion), Putin's imperial fantasies collide with harsh reality, while Ukraine's dreams are more alive than ever," said the German politician, who has celebrated that the Ukrainians are resisting " Putin's Machiavellian plans".

The head of the Community Executive already advanced in her trip with part of the College of Commissioners to Kiev on February 2 that the European Union was preparing a tenth package of sanctions against the Kremlin and its accomplices with which to mark the first anniversary of the invasion .

Von der Leyen has stressed that the international community is managing to "weaken" Putin's "war machine", including with the nine sanctions packages that the European Union has adopted in the last twelve months, and has explained that the Twenty-seven seek " keep up the pressure" with the new round of enforcement measures on the table.

"This package will have a value of 11,000 million euros," said the president of the Commission, regarding the impact of the new trade bans and restrictions on technology exports to Russia that the member states are examining this Wednesday at a meeting at ambassador level.

On the ambassadors' table, according to European and diplomatic sources to Europa Press, there are several options that include sanctions against 170 individuals and entities involved in the war against Ukraine and more measures so that member states have tools to avoid circumventing the sanctions, as well as prohibiting people with Russian nationality from holding positions of power in companies present in critical infrastructures in the EU.

Specifically, Von der Leyen has stated that they are studying restrictions on "dozens of electronic components" used in Russian military systems, such as drones, missiles or helicopters, and that the measures will also be directed against manufacturers in Iran whose drones are being used. Moscow to bomb Ukraine.

"Those Iranian drones kill Ukrainian civilians, it is appalling. That is why, for the first time, we are proposing sanctions on Iranian operators, including the Revolutionary Guard. It is our duty to sanction and confront Iran over the supply of drones," Von der Leyen has defended.

Likewise, Von der Leyen wanted to influence how Putin "was wrong" in assuming that European support for Ukraine would not last because he could "blackmail" the community bloc for its dependence on Russian oil and gas. On the contrary, he has argued, Putin has also "lost the energy war" and the European Union has managed to reposition itself with the help of other reliable partners.