In the midst of the heated discussions in the EU about an oil embargo against Russia, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made it clear that things couldn't stop there.

"We also have to get rid of our dependency on Russian gas," said von der Leyen on Friday at the FAZ readers' congress.

Recalling that 45 percent of the natural gas imported by the EU comes from Russia, she noted: "This cannot go on like this." She added: "Russia is no longer a reliable partner." to threaten and divide.

Andrew Ross

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The Commission President, who spoke from Barcelona, ​​did not deny that an embargo is difficult to enforce within the EU.

But the discussion is "going in the right direction".

In the long term, phasing out fossil fuels is the best thing Europe can do for its independence and for the fight against climate change - "because global warming is continuing".

In the short term, however, it is about new suppliers.

In the coming year, liquid gas from the USA will be able to replace at least a third of Russian supplies.

Ukraine should win – but what does that mean?

Von der Leyen reiterated: "We want Ukraine to win this war." The CDU politician and former German defense minister was more determined than Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who on Thursday had again formulated the goal that Ukraine should be allowed to “not lose” war.

In an interview with FAZ editor Berthold Kohler, however, von der Leyen did not want to define what constitutes a “victory” for Ukraine.

Could this be an exchange along the lines of “peace for land”, i.e. a de facto cession of territories?

Von der Leyen asserted that only Ukraine was entitled to answer this question.

The government in Kyiv must know how to negotiate with Russia.

"But she has all the support she needs from us," assured the Commission President.

Von der Leyen repeatedly emphasized that there is far more at stake in defending against the Russian war of aggression than the future of Ukraine.

The future of Europe is at stake, and with it an even bigger question: Will it be autocrats who impose their worldview on us?

Or will we democrats succeed in asserting our values?” For von der Leyen there can only be one answer: “The autocrats of this world must know that the democracies can defend themselves.” Only an economically strong Europe can achieve that.

"Our economic strength is a powerful lever." It is therefore right to design sanctions in such a way that they do not weaken the EU too much.

Von der Leyen argued that this was necessary because of the enormous costs of rebuilding Ukraine.

When asked repeatedly, she made it clearer and clearer that she advocated further borrowing by the EU.

The Union had done this for the first time during the pandemic to raise funds for the "reconstruction" of the economically particularly badly hit member states;

the step was described by the federal government, among others, as a one-time exception.

Von der Leyen has now praised the model in connection with the reconstruction of Ukraine.

In the pandemic, "it's working great," she said;

In an international comparison, the EU is in a good position economically after the pandemic.

Von der Leyen pointed out that

She has already discussed possible sponsorships between cities or regions in Ukraine and the EU with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

However, the reconstruction of Ukraine must be a global task.

"We have to stand together," said the President of the EU Commission.