site.btaThe Narrative on Russia Winning the War Is False and Unfounded - European Commission

The narrative on Russia winning the war is false and is unfounded, a European Commission Spokesperson said at a news briefing Thursday. The remark came in response to a question by a reporter about a call between US President Trump and EU leaders including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The Spokesperson was asked to confirm that President Trump said on the call that he believes Vladimir Putin is not ready for peace because he, Putin, believes he is winning the war.

“When it comes to the narrative, the narrative on Russia winning the war, it is false and is unfounded. We see it both in their crippling economy. We're seeing it both in their desperation when it comes to asking for help from North Korean soldiers and others, to support them. So this is wrong. We need to fight it with all means and also one of these points is precisely because Russia wants to get rid of the sanctions. So this means the sanctions are working. This is why we are increasing the pressure and we're working on the next round of sanctions,” the Spokesperson said.

She added that sanctions “seems to be the only language that is understood by President Putin”. 

The EC Spokesperson said that the next sanctions package will likely affect the North Stream pipeline and the Russian oil price cap. The EU can be expected to pitch to the G7 to lower the price cap on Russian oil.