The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Kiev this Saturday, the day that marks two years since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, to “firmly” express economic, military and morality of the European Union “until the country is finally free.
“More than ever, we firmly support Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free,” Von der Leyen said on her official X account.
“My visit to kyiv marks the second anniversary of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. I come to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the brave Ukrainian people,” the German politician told a group of journalists.
The head of the Community Executive pointed out that the EU agreed on February 1 to make an important announcement in terms of financial support to Ukraine by approving 50 billion euros of macro-financial aid for a period of four years, but she considered that “it is also very important to express our moral support” to the country.
This trip “will be the opportunity to discuss all aspects of our European support for Ukraine,” added Von der Leyen, who is expected to meet with Zelensky three days after ensuring that the EU will not decide whether to start accession negotiations with the country until after the European elections in June, despite the fact that the Twenty-seven were expected to give their approval in March at the start of the talks.
On her seventh trip to kyiv since the start of the war (April, September and November 2022 and February, March and September 2023), Von der Leyen has been accompanied by the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, whose country she presides over this semester. the Council of the EU.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also made the trip to kyiv on the same night train.
“The situation on the battlefield is not good, but that does not mean that we should give up,” said De Croo the day before in Warsaw, which is why he considered it “essential” that the support of the EU countries “remains high.” in weapons and artillery.
The Twenty-Seven have failed to fulfill their promise to deliver one million howitzers to Ukraine in March.
Since February 2023, the EU has donated 355,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition to Ukraine, by this March it hopes to have delivered 524,000 and, according to Brussels calculations, by the end of the year a total of 1,115,000 howitzers will have been given. .
Since the war began, the EU has helped Ukraine with 88 billion euros, of which 28 billion have gone to weapons. It has now committed another $50 billion over four years of macro-financial aid and is working to increase military support in 2024 with another $5 billion. It has trained 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers and plans to train another 20,000 by next summer.
Just the day before, Zelensky signed a long-term security agreement between Ukraine and Denmark in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, signed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
This is the fourth agreement of this type signed in recent weeks after those reached with two other countries in the community club, Germany and France, as well as with the United Kingdom.
Coinciding with the second anniversary of the war, the European Union approved this Friday the thirteenth package of sanctions against Russia, which includes the largest group of measures in a single batch and also against Chinese companies.
