"It cannot be that an autocrat attacks a sovereign country which has the right to the integrity of its territory." That's the firm response directed at Russia from the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Speaking exclusively to FRANCE 24 about the war in Ukraine, the EU leader added that "democracy is standing up against autocracy and therefore we stand as one".
Faced with the unprecedented crisis at the borders of the European Union that has sent shockwaves across the bloc, Ursula von der Leyen outlined the EU's response to the war in Ukraine. This means continuing to inflict economic stress on Russia, partly through the latest sanctions outlined this week, which have had "a huge effect on Russia's economy right now, but also a huge effect over time on the economy so it will have a lasting effect. There is a price for President Putin to pay and this is our strength in the European Union," the European Commission president told FRANCE 24.
