War in Ukraine: Kaja Kallas calls for a rapid renewal of sanctions against Russia

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said that sanctions against Russia remain "the heart" of the European strategy to put pressure on Moscow and end the war in Ukraine. She was speaking at a press conference in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

According to Kaja Kallas, the European Union intends to "quickly" renew its sanctions policy, without waiting for new developments on the ground. This statement comes as the conflict in Ukraine, triggered by the Russian invasion of February 2022, continues and continues to mobilise international diplomacy, particularly at the annual UN high mass in New York.

European sanctions against Russia have been targeting key sectors of the Russian economy for several years, as well as political and economic figures close to the government. Brussels has regularly renewed and extended this sanctions regime over the months, in coordination with its Western partners, with the stated aim of limiting Russia's financial and military capabilities.

Kaja Kallas reaffirmed that this tool remained, in the eyes of the Twenty-Seven, the main lever of pressure on Moscow, at a time when diplomatic efforts to find a way out of the conflict are continuing on several fronts. Her speech in New York is part of a series of exchanges between European and international leaders on the sidelines of the General Assembly, devoted in particular to the situation in Ukraine.

Le Monde, which is following these developments as part of its live coverage of the war in Ukraine, has not specified at this stage a detailed timetable for this renewal of sanctions, nor the exact content of the new measures envisaged.