Russia has escalated the invasion of Ukraine to a new level.

And we are determined to make the Kremlin pay the price for this further escalation.

Today, we are proposing a new package of biting sanctions against Russia ↓
twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… 1) New listing of individuals and entities

2) Further restriction of trade:
 
• New import bans on Russian products, depriving the 🇷🇺 economy of €7 billion in revenues
 
• More products that cannot be exported to 🇷🇺, in particular key technologies needed for its war machine

This is not only a war of Russia on Ukraine.
This is about autocracy against democracy.

Against this challenge, 🇪🇺 🇺🇸 cooperation is more intense than ever.

When you face a crisis, you know who your true friends are.

Exchange with @Princeton students ↓ twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… Putin tried to use the EU's fossil fuel dependency to blackmail and divide us.
 
He failed.
 
We are turning to reliable and trusted suppliers like 🇺🇸
 
We are also cutting our need for imported gas, saving and storing more.
 
The EU will end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

We have brought Europe’s inner strength back to the surface.
With unity, solidarity and determination.

My address #SOTEU ↓
twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… Dear Olena @ZelenskaUA, it took immense courage to resist Putin’s cruelty.

But you found that courage.

You have given courage to the whole nation.

And you have given hope to all of us

Glory to a country of European heroes. Slava Ukraini!
 
#SOTEU

Russia is manipulating our energy markets and we are confronted with astronomic prices.

So we will table measures to protect vulnerable consumers and businesses.

We have the economic strength, the political will and unity to keep the upper hand.
twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… 1) Smart Savings of Electricity

We need a strategy to flatten the peaks, which drive the price of electricity. 

We will propose a mandatory target for reducing electricity use at peak hours.

Will the rule of power replace the power of rules?

It depends on the power of democracy.

On our capacity to uphold core principles.
Resist aggression.

Protect our values and our friends.

My address @BledStratForum ↓
twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… We need a new strategic thinking to defend the rules-based order. We must:
 
• Neutralise Russia’s blackmail power, strengthen our ability to act

• Support the democracies most exposed to foreign threats
 
• Use our economic might to preserve and expand the rules-based order

The dream of a new Ukraine brings us here today:

Not only free, democratic, European.
But also fair, green, prosperous.

A place that Ukraine’s golden generation finally feels is their own. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… The bombs are still falling, but we know nothing is impossible to the people of Ukraine.

Дякую Президенту @ZelenskyyUA за запрошення виголосити звернення на цьому позачерговому засіданні@ua_parliament.

Українці мужньо дають відсіч.
Європа робитиме все від нас залежне, щоб допомогти Україні виграти цю війну.

І ми не заспокоїмося, поки ви не переможете. Україна зараз має чітку європейську перспективу і є кандидатом на вступ до Європейського Союзу.

Тому сьогодні час відсвяткувати цю історичну подію.

Перемога визначеності та рішучості.

І перемога того поступу, який розпочався вісім років тому на Майдані.

Thank you President @ZelenskyyUA for inviting me to address this special session of @ua_parliament.

Ukrainians are fighting back bravely.

Europe will do everything in our power to help Ukraine win this war.

And we will not rest until you prevail.
twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… Ukraine now has a clear European perspective and is a candidate to join the EU.

So today is a moment to celebrate this historic milestone.

A victory of determination and resolve.

And a victory for the whole movement that started eight years ago in the Maidan.

We agreed in Versailles to phase out our dependency on Russian gas, oil & coal as soon as possible.

But this requires a plan: This is #REPowerEU.

It has 4 pillars:

• Saving energy
• Diversifying away from 🇷🇺 fossil fuels
• Massive investment in renewable energy
• Financing

Soon we will celebrate Europe Day.
A day to reflect on our Union.
But also on the future of the EU.
Which today, is also written in Ukraine. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… Today we are presenting the sixth package of sanctions.

First, we are listing high-ranking military officers and other individuals who committed war crimes in Bucha.

We know who you are.
And you will be held accountable.

We have all seen the haunting images of Bucha.

This is what is happening when Putin´s soldiers occupy Ukrainian territory.

They call this liberation.
I call this war crimes.

The Russian authorities will have to answer for them. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… Europe stands with Ukraine, more than ever.

We stand with Ukrainians in their devastated cities. With the millions who flee the invader.

We will do all we can so they can safely return home.
This is what @JosepBorrellF and I will tell President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv this week.

Russia is waging a cruel, ruthless war, also against Ukraine’s civilian population.

We need to sustain utmost pressure at this critical point.

So today we are proposing a 5th package of sanctions. 1 – An import ban on coal from Russia, worth €4 billion per year, cutting another important revenue source for Russia.

2 – A full transaction ban on 4 key Russian banks, among them VTB, the 2nd largest Russian bank.

Open and frank exchange today at the 🇪🇺🇨🇳 Summit

There must be respect for international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China, as a Permanent member of the UN Security Council, has a special responsibility.
twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… China’s reputation is at stake.
 
This is about trust, reliability and decisions on long-term investments.
 
Every day 🇪🇺🇨🇳 trade amounts to €2 billion.

🇷🇺🇨🇳 trade, €330 million.
 
A prolongation of the war and more disruption to the world economy is in no-one’s interest.

But to drive prices down and enhance our energy security in the longer-term, we have to look at the root cause of the price spike.

Namely high and volatile gas prices and their impact on electricity prices. With a true European approach to buying pipeline gas, we have important leverage.

So instead of outbidding each other and driving prices up, we should pull our common weight.

This is why we are proposing common gas procurement and stricter rules for storage.

As Russia’s ruthless invasion continues, the EU and our G7 partners continue to ramp up the economic pressure on the Kremlin.

Tomorrow, we will introduce a fourth package of measures to further isolate Russia and drain the resources it uses to finance this barbaric war ↓ We will:

1. Deny Russia the status of Most-Favored Nation in our markets, revoking important WTO benefits.


We’ll also work to suspend its membership rights in multilateral financial institutions like the IMF & World Bank – so no more loans or benefits from these institutions.

The way we respond today to Russia's heinous attack will determine the future of Ukraine, of our Union and of our entire continent.

Let's stay true to the principles that have guided our response so far:

Responsibility, unity, solidarity, determination. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… This crisis has made us face up to our responsibilities in the face of a new reality.

First, our duty to continue ensuring reliable, secure and affordable supply of energy to European consumers.

In the mid-term this means getting rid of our dependency on Russian fossil fuels.

Find the slides one by one below ↓

Energy prices: while supporting consumers and businesses, we’ll work on increasing resilience & independence.

•See how to establish a strategic gas reserve
•Explore joint procurement
•Intensify outreach to suppliers
•Speed up work on interconnections twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… We will also assess how the gas, electricity and ETS markets function.

We need more renewables. They are cheaper, carbon-free and homegrown.

We also need a stable source, nuclear, and during the transition, gas.

This is why we will come forward with our taxonomy proposal.

The whole world is affected by the energy prices spike.

Yet there is something specific to the 🇪🇺 situation.

We are too reliant on gas, too dependent on gas imports. It makes us vulnerable.

We need to diversify suppliers but crucially, speed up the transition to clean energy Citizens expect quick responses.

Our priority is to give relief to vulnerable families and businesses.

Under EU rules, Member States can take measures swiftly.

This includes state aid, targeted support to consumers and cuts to energy taxes.

#NextGenerationEU, our recovery programme, is going to frame our action during the Slovenian presidency @EU2021SI

Europeans want to leave this pandemic behind.

We are here to help them to achieve exactly that.

We will get out of this crisis together. Zuallererst bleibt unsere Impfkampagne entscheidend.
Sie wird endlich zu einer Erfolgsgeschichte.
Unser Durchhaltevermögen zahlt sich aus.

Mitte April lag unsere Zahl der min. ein Mal geimpften Erwachsenen noch 25% hinter 🇺🇸 - heute nur noch 5%. Die Lücke ist fast geschlossen.

We made great progress in our fight against #COVID19.

This week over 300 million doses will have been delivered in the 🇪🇺.

We are on track to have enough doses delivered to vaccinate 70% of the adult population by end of July. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… We must now focus on consolidating this progress by vaccinating minors and tracking variants

By mid-June @ECDC_EU will have a global monitoring in place with variant maps.

This will help us stay one-step ahead of the virus and adapt our strategies quickly.