European Commission president: If Ukraine says it needs tanks, it should receive them

Ukraine should be provided with all the weapons it needs, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.

According to Ukrinform, she said this in an interview with Germany's Bild news outlet.

"If they say they need battle tanks, then we should take it seriously and deliver them. Ukraine knows exactly what it needs to protect life and defend itself. […] I am in favor of the European states delivering what Ukraine actually needs. After all, the Ukrainians are proving that they can defend themselves if they have the right military means," von der Leyen said.

She recalled that Ukrainians are "fighting this fight for all of us." Democracy must win so it's so important that the country gets all the weapons it needs, she added.

According to her, Ukraine also urgently needs financial support.

"On average, they need five billion a month to maintain the essentials, to pay for the hospitals, the schools, the soldiers or, for example, to keep the police running, that's also important in this war. That's where the EU plays a very big role," she said.

Von der Leyen said she was firmly convinced that Ukraine will win the war, because "Ukraine has tremendous motivation." "They know what they're fighting for. And friends around the world are doing everything to ensure that Ukraine gets the right weapon systems," she said.

"It's important to me that Putin has to lose this war and have to take responsibility for his actions," she said.

Von der Leyen visited Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, on Thursday, September 15. She held meetings with the country's leadership.