Russia

EU Says It Will Fund Arms Deliveries to Ukraine and Hit Putin With New Sanctions, Including a Ban on Russian State Media

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a news conference with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, in Brussels, Belgium, February 27, 2022.
Stephanie Lecocq | Reuters
  • The European Union plans new actions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
  • The EU will for the first time fund the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
  • The EU will also block Russian aircraft from flying in EU territory, and it will ban Russian state-owned media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik from its airwaves, von der Leyen said.
  • In addition, the EU will impose new sanctions on Belarus' controlling regime led by Alexander Lukashenko, which von der Leyen called "the other aggressor in this war."

The European Union on Sunday announced new actions it planned to take in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including that the union will for the first time fund the delivery of weapons to the besieged nation.

The EU will also build on the sanctions it slapped on the Kremlin days earlier, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, by blocking Russian aircraft from flying in EU territory.

The 27-member bloc will ban Russian state-owned media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik from its airwaves, as well. "We are developing tools to ban their toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe," von der Leyen said.

In addition, the EU will impose new sanctions on Belarus' controlling regime led by Alexander Lukashenko, which von der Leyen called "the other aggressor in this war."

The move marks the latest international effort to support Kyiv as officials say the Ukrainian military is holding onto its major cities in the face of Russia's military aggression. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has put his nuclear deterrence forces on high alert as he decries the intensifying foreign sanctions.

Copyright CNBC
Contact Us