President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Photo credit: Carl Court/PA Wire

The European Commission has called for another package of sanctions against Russia with President Ursula von der Leyen saying: “This is Russia’s war, and it is Russia that should pay.”

During her 2025 ‘State of the Union’ address, von der Leyen emphasised that European taxpayers should not be the only ones bearing the brunt of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

She asserted that “no one had contributed as much as Europe,” noting the Union has provided nearly €170bn (£147bn) in military and financial aid so far to Ukraine.

In her speech, she suggested that the EU should propose using frozen Russian assets to issue a “reparations loan” as a new way to finance Ukraine’s war effort.

She explained: “The asset

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