The European Union should continue to increase pressure on Russia and support Ukraine, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Friday.

Ursula von der Leyen in KyivPhoto: Yefrem Lukatsky / AP / Profimedia

“We must continue to increase the pressure on Russia, and we will obviously continue our unwavering support for Ukraine,” the head of the EU executive said at a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Kiruna, northern Sweden, Agerpres reports. .

While in the country, which assumed the six-month presidency of the EU Council on January 1, Ursula von der Leyen said that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has reduced gas supplies to the European Union by 80%, but the EU block has compensated for this by diversifying energy sources.

“Difficult work was done. The price of gas is lower now than before the Russian invasion,” von der Leyen said.

On February 24 last year, Russia launched an unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine. Moscow says it is conducting a “special military operation to de-Nazify” the neighboring country and protect the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine.

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