May 24, 2022 - World

EU chief: Russia sanctions "draining Kremlin's war machine"

Erin Doherty

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses the assembly at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on May 24. — European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos on May 24. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/ AFP via Getty Images

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday that sanctions against Russia are "draining the Kremlin's war machine."

Driving the news: "Ukraine must win this war. Putin's aggression must be a strategic failure, so we will do everything we can to help Ukrainians prevail and retake the future into their hands," she said in her speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"We will, hand in hand, help Ukraine rise from the ashes," she added.
Von der Leyen also vowed to support Ukraine in pursuing "its European path" to becoming an E.U. member state.
"Ukraine belongs (in) the European family," she said. "We stand with them, and I think this is a defining moment for all the democracies of the whole globe."

The big picture: Von der Leyen added that the European Union is providing billions of dollars to support Ukraine's reconstruction, in addition to hosting millions of refugees in member states.

"It is an economic-relief operation with no precedent in recent history," she said.

Go deeper ... Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine

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EU chief: Russia sanctions "draining Kremlin's war machine"

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