Von der Leyen Welcomes U.S. Sanctions Push on Russia

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen voiced strong support Monday for a new U.S. legislative push to intensify sanctions on Russia, as both sides of the Atlantic ramp up efforts to target Moscow’s energy exports and financial networks amid its ongoing war against Ukraine, The Gaze reports, citing Politico.

Meeting in Berlin with Senator Lindsey Graham — a leading Republican foreign policy figure and co-author of a bipartisan sanctions bill in the U.S. Senate — von der Leyen emphasized the importance of coordinated transatlantic pressure on the Kremlin.

“Pressure works, as the Kremlin understands nothing else,” von der Leyen said in a statement. “These steps, taken together with U.S. measures, would sharply increase the joint impact of our sanctions.”

The EU is currently finalizing its 18th sanctions package, described by von der Leyen as “hard-hitting,” with a focus on Russia’s banking and energy sectors. Graham’s legislation, introduced with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, proposes punitive tariffs on countries buying Russian oil — a measure aimed especially at Moscow’s key backers such as China and India.

“It’s time for the world to act decisively against Russia’s aggression by holding China and others accountable for buying cheap Russian oil that props up Putin’s war machine,” Graham wrote on X on Sunday.

The senators’ bill reportedly has the backing of 60 co-sponsors and is expected to move forward in the Senate this week.

The meeting between von der Leyen and Graham also addressed Russia’s ongoing deportation of over 20,000 Ukrainian children, which both parties agreed must be met with stronger punitive measures.

A spokesperson for the German foreign office commented on further EU alignment with U.S. efforts:

“In our view, lowering the oil price cap in conjunction with effective enforcement is conceivable. This could be combined with further measures against the Russian shadow fleet and supporters of sanctions evasion from third countries.”

As The Gaze previously reported, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal are spearheading a bipartisan push to enact a powerful new sanctions package against Russia ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) summit, scheduled for June 15-17 in Alberta, Canada.

Read more on The Gaze: Are Ukraine’s Allies Ready to Take Sanctions Against Russia to the Next Level in 2025?