Airbus aircraft BRUSSELS, Feb 25 The European Union will ban the sale of aircraft and equipment to Russian airlines, said head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.Earlier, the leaders of the EU countries at an extraordinary summit agreed on new sanctions against Russia, which will affect the financial sector, the energy and transport sectors, dual-use goods, visa policy.
"…We prohibit the sale all aircraft, spare parts and equipment to Russian airlines. This will lead to the degradation of the key sector of the Russian economy and the country's communication capabilities. Three-quarters of the current Russian commercial air fleet was built in the European Union, the US and Canada. So she seriously depends on it", said von der Leyen.
She also said new European energy sanctions would «make it impossible» to modernize Russian oil refineries. In addition, Russia's access to «essential technologies» such as semiconductors and the latest software will be restricted.Taiwan will join the sanctions against Russia. In addition, according to the head of the EC, the «privileged access» of Russian diplomats and businessmen to the EU countries will be canceled. The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that the new EU sanctions are illegitimate and unreasonable. Diplomats warned that such unilateral measures could «only exacerbate the already difficult situation in Russian-EU relations.» On Thursday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in the Donbass. He assured that Moscow's plans do not include the occupation of Ukraine, only its demilitarization and denazification. The head of state called the goal of the operation to protect the residents of the DPR and LPR, who have been subjected to genocide for eight years. The President called on the Armed Forces of Ukraine to lay down their arms: they will be able to freely leave the war zone and return to their families. According to Putin, the entire responsibility for the bloodshed will be on the conscience of the Kiev regime.