EU chief urges air defense support for Ukraine, warns of new Russia sanctions

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for urgent air defense support for Ukraine following a massive Russian strike and signaled that additional sanctions against Moscow are imminent.

Von der Leyen said Monday on her social media accounts that the Russian regime had launched an indiscriminate attack on the Ukrainian capital Sunday night, firing more than 400 drones and missiles at civilians.

"Ukraine urgently needs air defense support right now," she said, adding that the issue would be discussed at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, this week.

She also disclosed the status of EU financial support for Ukraine. Von der Leyen said the EU had disbursed the first tranche of 4 billion euros from the 90 billion euros ($103 billion) loan package it pledged to Ukraine last week. She said the funds would be used to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, including advanced drone technology, with additional disbursements to follow soon.

Von der Leyen also signaled that further economic pressure on Russia is close at hand. "We are working hard to finalize agreement on the 21st sanctions package against Russia within the coming days," she said. "We will keep increasing the pressure until Russia stops the bloodshed."