Europe must keep the pressure on Russia because the country remains intent on "permanently redrawing maps" and bringing back its lost "spheres of influence", Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, as fast-paced peace talks led by the United States raise the prospect of economic relief for Moscow despite its continued assault on Ukraine.
"From the start, Russia has always believed that they can outlast Ukraine, Europe and all of its allies," the European Commission president told the European Parliament in Strasbourg in a speech on Wednesday morning.
