Zelensky names main topics of talks with Ursula von der Leyen
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the key topics of the talks in Kyiv with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were access to Russian frozen assets, support for EU energy and the frontline, and diplomatic cooperation.
The Head of State made this statement during a joint press conference in Kyiv with the President of the European Commission, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The priorities are obvious - defense of Ukraine, our positions, our soldiers, pressure on Russia. This is quite a fair pressure. Support for our stability - Ukraine and the whole of Europe. The issue of energy, protection and restoration of our infrastructure facilities is especially relevant now before winter,” Zelensky said.
He emphasized that Russia has not stopped terrorist attacks on our power plants and other critical and social infrastructure for a single day. “At least a hundred guided bombs alone are used every day. Therefore, the greater the level of support for Ukraine now, the faster the recovery will be,” the President noted.
He highlighted five main topics discussed during the negotiations in one-on-one formats and with delegations.
“The first is security support. It is critically important to fully utilize the funds of the European Peace Fund and the Ukraine Assistance Fund for sustainable and predictable support of our Defense Forces,” Zelensky said.
He noted that it is important that there be “no blocking in this process - this is something that directly affects our ability to defend ourselves and protect the lives of all our people and Ukrainian positions at the front.”
The second issue, according to the Head of State, is energy.
“Today, we have discussed in detail what can be done together, what supplies are needed, what funds are needed for this. The prompt implementation of all our agreements is crucial,” Zelensky said.
He especially thanked for the announcement yesterday of additional support from the EU for Ukraine in the amount of about 160 million euros.
“These are funds specifically for winterization, and 100 million of them are provided from the proceeds of freezing Russian assets,” the President noted.
According to him, the parties discussed enhanced protection of particularly important energy facilities and financing of this protection.
The third point was the use of Russian assets, Zelensky emphasized.
“It is only fair that every frozen asset found in different jurisdictions should start working to protect against Russian aggression. At the political level, there is a general solution, we need an implementation mechanism. This should be tangible for the state budget of Ukraine in the coming months,” he said.
The fourth point, according to the President, was the negotiations on accession, which are already actively ongoing.
“We have also discussed the schedule of our dialogue and the next Ukraine-EU summit,” he noted.
The fifth issue was the pressure of sanctions on Russia.
“We must not allow the aggressors to adapt to our pressure. This means not only limiting any schemes to circumvent sanctions, but also introducing new ones. The next, 15th package of sanctions against Russia should continue the common European policy - this is what prevents Russian aggression from growing,” Zelensky said.
He separately thanked Ursula von der Leyen for agreeing on European support for the school feeding program in Ukrainian schools. “This is something that will be tangible for millions of Ukrainian children and their families,” the head of state emphasized.
As reported, on Friday, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrived in the Ukrainian capital on a visit.
This is her 8th visit to Kyiv during the full-scale war.
Photo: OP