The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Tuesday night that she has discussed with US President Donald Trump additional steps to strengthen sanctions against Russia in a bid to end the war in Ukraine.
Von der Leyen explained in a post on X the conversation included the discussion of collaborative efforts to ramp up economic pressure on Russia with new measures.
She revealed that the European Commission will soon propose a 19th package of EU sanctions targeting Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
The new measures will include actions focused on cryptocurrencies, banking, and energy sectors.
I had a good call with @POTUS on strengthening our joint efforts to increase economic pressure on Russia through additional measures.
The Commission will soon present its 19th package of sanctions, targeting crypto, banks, and energy. Russia’s war economy, sustained by revenues… — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 16, 2025
Donald Trump urged allied nations to stop purchasing Russian oil, warning of punitive measures against Moscow, while also calling for tariffs on China.
The EU has already banned most Russian oil imports, reducing its share of oil imports from Russia from 29% in early 2021 to just 2% by mid-2025.
Plans are in place to completely phase out Russian oil and gas purchases by the end of 2027. Von der Leyen stressed that Brussels aims to move even faster in cutting ties to Russian fossil fuels.
"Russia’s war economy, sustained by revenues from fossil fuels, is financing the bloodshed in Ukraine," she said. "To put an end to it, the Commission will propose speeding up the phase-out of Russian fossil imports."
