Support for Ukraine “strategic imperative” for EU - von der Leyen
Continuing and strengthening support for Ukraine while Russia’s Vladimir Putin is making every effort to break the resistance of Ukrainians is not only a moral, but also a strategic imperative for the EU, as the whole world is watching Europe's efforts in this context, both its friends and adversaries.
This was stated today in Strasbourg during a speech at the plenary session of the European Parliament in preparation of the European Council on December 19-20 by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"(Putin’s - ed.) strategy is clear. He is trying to make gains on the ground and to terrorize the people of Ukraine. So, bolstering Ukraine right now is not only a moral imperative. It is also a strategic imperative. The world is watching. Our friends, and even more our foes, will observe carefully how we sustain our support to Ukraine. And this support has to be ironclad," Ursula von der Leyen stressed.
“The fall of Assad is a cautionary tale about the limits of Russia's power projection. After three years of all-out war, Russia has not managed to break Ukraine's resistance. But now Putin is trying harder than ever. With new weapons, new troops from North Korea, and a new wave of attacks on energy infrastructure,” she said.
The most immediate challenge is Ukraine's energy system, von der Leyen believes.
“We have already done a lot on this front. We have provided Ukraine with thousands of power generators, transformers, electrical components, and millions of LED bulbs. But we must do more. There is still a substantial capacity gap,” she said, adding that at the European Council on Thursday, she will ask leaders to do more on repairs, to further upgrade the connecting grid, and to do more for decentralised electricity generation.
“In these darkest days of the year, we must keep the lights on, and keep the hope alive,” von der Leyen stressed.
The EU must also maintain Ukraine's basic economic and financial stability, the European Commission president said as the IMF estimated Ukraine's financing gap at over $42 billion for 2025.
The EU is closing this gap, together with our G7 partners and international financial institutions, she went on to say, noting that the EU will contribute EUR 13 billion next year from the Ukraine Facility, and as of January, it will start transferring the European part of the G7 loan, financed with the revenues of immobilised Russian assets, which is over EUR 18 billion for 2025.
“This will give Ukraine economic and financial stability until the end of 2025, and it will free up their fiscal space to purchase military equipment. In other words, Putin's strategy to drive Kyiv into the financial abyss has utterly failed,” von der Leyen emphasized.
“This is the moment to stay the course. No matter what happens next, we do need to keep the key principles in mind. First, Ukraine must remain an independent state, with the right to choose its own destiny. Second, it is for Ukraine to decide its own territory. And third, we have to always keep in mind that when we speak about Ukraine's security, we speak about Europe's security. We need a just and lasting peace, for Ukraine and for all of Europe,” said the EC president.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, a meeting of EU heads of state and government will take place in Brussels on December 19-20 in the format of the European Council. Among the main topics of the meeting will be the situation of Ukraine and developments in Syria.