Q: What is your response to Russia?
Russia is conducting an aggressive war against Ukraine without any kind of reason. Everybody can see on their TV screens what is happening. Russians are bombing indiscriminately Ukrainian cities, hundreds of casualties, civilians. Two million refugees. Is it our fault, two million refugees? No. Russia is doing the war the way they do, like they did it in Syria, like they did in Chechnya, bombing and destroying a country.
Today, here, the leaders [of the European Union], we have to work in two directions. First, how to continue putting pressure on Russia to stop this crazy war, and to stop the killing of civilians through diplomatic actions, but also through sanctions. And, second, to increase the resilience of the European Union – energy dependence and military capabilities. And a stronger economic basis in order to face the challenge that Russia is putting ahead of us today.
Q: Do you think there is still unity among the 27 to impose more sanctions? It seems that there is a division at the moment.
Do not look for division. Do not try to drive a wedge. We are more united than ever. I have never seen the Member States being so united, and together with our transatlantic partners. Putin believed that he was going to conquer Ukraine, he failed. He believed that he was going to divide us, he failed. He believed that he was going to weaken the transatlantic relationship, and he failed. Now, he has to stop the war.
Q: Do you think we will be safer without Russian gas [inaudible]?
We will be much safer. We have to spend less gas, to use less gas – the climate requires that. For once, geopolitics and climate go together.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-221242