Ursula von der Leyen: Supporting Ukraine Is Strategic for the European Union

Continuing and strengthening support for Ukraine is not only a moral but also a strategic imperative for the EU, as the whole world is watching Europe's actions in this context, both its friends and foes.

This was stated by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her speech at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg today. 

‘His (Putin's - ed.) strategy is obvious. He is trying to gain advantages on the ground and terrorise the people of Ukraine. So strengthening Ukraine right now is not only our moral imperative. It is also a strategic imperative. The world is watching. Our friends, and even more so our enemies, will be watching closely to see how we can continue our support for Ukraine. And this support must be firm,’ Ursula von der Leyen stressed.   

The President of the European Commission noted that the events in Syria and the fall of the Assad regime have shown that Russia has limits to its power projection. After three years of full-scale war, Russia has not been able to break the Ukrainian resistance. Putin is now trying harder than ever to do so, with new weapons, new troops from North Korea, and new attacks against energy infrastructure.

The head of the European Commission noted that the biggest challenge facing Ukraine is to maintain the viability of the energy system, which is subject to targeted Russian attacks. She also reminded that the EU has already provided Ukraine with thousands of generators, transformers, components for restoring power grids, and millions of LED lamps. But, according to Ursula von der Leyen, the EU needs to do more, as there is still a major lack of energy capacity in Ukraine.

‘Tomorrow, during the European Council, I will ask leaders to do more to repair and further upgrade the grids, to do more to decentralise power generation. In these darkest days of the year, we must keep the lights on and keep hope alive,’ said Ursula von der Leyen.

She noted that the EU will continue to support the foundations of Ukraine's economic and financial stability beyond this winter. According to the IMF, Ukraine's financing gap is estimated at USD 42 billion by 2025. The EU, together with its G7 partners and international financial institutions, is helping to close this gap.

Next year, the EU will allocate €13 billion for Ukraine under the Ukraine Fund. In addition, in January, the EU will start transferring its part of the loan agreed at the G7 level from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets, which will amount to more than €18 billion in 2025.

Ursula von der Leyen also noted that this assistance will provide Ukraine with economic and financial stability until the end of 2025 and free up some fiscal space for the country to purchase military equipment.

‘In other words, Putin's strategy to throw Kyiv into the financial abyss has completely failed,’ she said.

‘This is a crucial moment to stay the course, no matter what happens next. We need to stick to the key principles that we have been following throughout this war. First, Ukraine must survive as an independent country and have the right to choose its own destiny. Second. It is Ukraine's business to decide on its own territories. Third, we must always remember that when we talk about Ukraine's security, we are talking about Europe's security. We need a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe,’ added Ursula von der Leyen.