By David K. Li -
NBC News
The European Union (EU) announced on Sunday new measures against Russia, such as the financing and delivery of weapons to Ukraine and the banning of the state media Russia Today and Sputnik.
"For the first time, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack," European Commission President Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen said.
"This is a defining moment."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy give a joint press release on new measures to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the European Commission in Brussels on February 27 in 2022.STEPHANIE LECOCQ / POOL/AFP via Getty Images
He added that "in another unprecedented step, we will ban the Kremlin's media machine from the EU."
"The state media Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, as well as their affiliates, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin's war and sow division in our Union," von der Leyen said.
The EU also said it was closing its airspace to all Russian planes.
Separately, British oil major BP said on Sunday it was ending its business relationship with Rosneft, a Russian oil and gas company.
BP said in a press release that it would divest its 19.75% stake in Rosneft and that its CEO, Bernard Looney, was stepping down from Rosneft's board of directors.
This high-profile move severs one of the largest financial relationships between Russia and the West.
"BP has operated in Russia for more than 30 years, working with brilliant Russian colleagues," BP Chairman Helge Lund said in the statement.
"However, this military action represents a fundamental change. It has led BP's board of directors to conclude, after an exhaustive process, that our participation in Rosneft, a state-owned company, simply cannot continue."
