European Political Community united to preserve peace in Europe, President von der Leyen says

European Commission - Announcement European Political Community united to preserve peace in Europe, President von der Leyen says Brussels, 16 May 2025 Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was today in Tirana, Albania, where she participated in the latest summit of the European Political Community (EPC). In the wake of the events of the last days and President Putin not showing up in Türkiye to meet President Zelenskyy, President von der Leyen announced that the EU is working on a new set of sanctions, including on Nord Stream 1 and 2, a lower price cap for crude oil, further listings on the shadow fleet, and more sanctions on Russia's financial sector. “For us it is important to have peace. Therefore, we have to increase the pressure on President Putin until Putin is ready for peace,” the President told journalists at her arrival to the summit. The President also stressed the importance of the gathering in Tirana. Europe can be an area of shared prosperity and it has grown closer together over the last years in the face of arduous challenges. “Today, Europe is awake – wide awake. And we know that we must leap forward: We have to close the innovation gap, boost our competitiveness, build our own resilience, and widen and deepen the network of partnerships around the world. We all have learnt that when there are big crises, Europe certainly provides some of the big answers,” the President told fellow leaders. She described the tasks at hand to further connect...