Ukraine: Von der Leyen with the EU Commission for talks in Kyiv

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised Ukraine further extensive support in the fight against Russia at the start of a two-day visit to Kyiv. “Our presence in Kyiv today is a very clear signal: the entire European Union is on Ukraine’s side in the long term,” said the German politician. Ukraine has become the center of Europe. “To the place where our values ​​are upheld, where our freedom is defended and where the future of Europe is written.”

For the former defense minister, it is the fourth trip since the beginning of the war to the country that is impatiently striving to join the EU. For the first time she was accompanied by 15 EU commissioners. The highlight of the trip is to be an EU-Ukraine summit this Friday. EU Council President Charles Michel is also expected to attend, but not the heads of state and government of the 27 member states. It is the first summit of its kind in a country in the middle of a war.

Further support announced

Von der Leyen and her team announced further financial, military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine on Thursday. Around 150 million euros are to be made available for the reconstruction of the energy infrastructure destroyed by Russia. In addition, the EU will provide 2,400 power generators – in addition to the 3,000 that have been supplied since the beginning of the war. According to von der Leyen, a new package of sanctions against Russia should be decided by the anniversary of the start of the war on February 24. It would already be the tenth.

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also officially announced the expansion of the European training mission for Ukrainian armed forces. This is to train an additional 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers, bringing the total to 30,000.

According to Borrell, the EU mission will also train the crew of main battle tanks. This is to ensure that the Ukrainians can effectively use the Leopard 2 tanks that countries like Germany want to provide. In addition, the EU wants to provide 25 million euros for mine clearance in recaptured areas.

Dream of a peaceful Europe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for further support to win the war against Russia. “Now it’s obvious that the dream of a peaceful Europe can only be achieved together with Ukraine and only by defeating Russia,” said the 45-year-old. “Ukraine is defending the values ​​on the battlefield that made Europe united and uniting.”

However, accession to the EU is by no means a sure-fire success – even though Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal has recently said several times that Ukraine could do it in the next two years. In fact, after Ukraine became a candidate for membership last summer, negotiations on accession have not even started. At the time, the EU linked this step to Ukraine fulfilling seven requirements.

It is about the selection process for Ukrainian constitutional judges and a stronger fight against corruption – especially at a high level. The EU is also demanding that standards in the fight against money laundering be observed and a law against the excessive influence of oligarchs be implemented.

Von der Leyen only touched on these hurdles and instead praised the country’s “impressive progress”. After the summer, your agency wants to present a detailed report on Ukraine’s progress with reforms.

In addition to von der Leyen and Borrell, the Vice-Presidents Margrethe Vestager, Valdis Dombrovskis, Vera Jourova and Margaritis Schinas were part of the EU delegation in Kyiv. Vice President Frans Timmermans, among others, stayed in Brussels for emergencies. He is number two in the EU Commission and would take over her duties on an interim basis if President von der Leyen were to fail, for example as a result of a Russian attack on Kyiv.