EU countries told not to 'appease' Russia as desperate Putin 'uses North Korea's kit'

Europe must show 'determination, not appeasement' as Russia wages war on Ukraine, Brussels leader Ursula von der Leyen warned today.

The President of the European Commission has urged the bloc's 27 nations to maintain their fragile solidarity as sanctions weigh on Moscow - and Vladimir Putin tries to strangle the continent's gas supply, sending prices skyrocketing energy prices.

Insisting that the EU's alliance with Kyiv would be "unshakable", the bloc leader said: "Sanctions are here to stay - now is the time for us to show resolve, no appeasement."

Delivering her annual State of the Union address, she added, "We're here for the long haul."

It came as the UK Ministry of Defense said it believed Russia had to rely on supplies from pariah states like North Korea and Iran to circumvent sanctions.

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Dressed in blue and yellow - the colors of the flags of Ukraine and the EU - Ms von der Leyen opened her 59-minute speech by telling MEPs that "never before has this Parliament debated the state of our union as war rages on European soil”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is chairing a meeting on economic issues this week (

Picture:

by Reuters)

Underlining the seriousness of the struggle raging at the EU's borders, she continued: "Let's be very clear, there is a lot at stake here - not just for Ukraine but for all of Europe and the world in general.

"And we will be tested - tested by those who want to exploit all kinds of divisions between us.

“This is not just a war started by Russia against Ukraine; it's a war on our energy, a war on our economy, a war on our values ​​and a war on our future.

"This is about autocracy versus democracy - and I am here with the belief that with courage and solidarity, Putin will fail and Europe will prevail."

Boosting hopes for EU membership among the bloc's eastern neighbors, she said the organization was incomplete without Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the Western Balkan countries.

"You are part of our family, you are the future of our union," Ms von der Leyen told the nations.

"Our union is not complete without you."