In Kyiv and in Brussels on Monday 24 February, European leaders underlined the EU’s support for Ukraine on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of the country.
From the Ukrainian capital, where a dozen European and Canadian leaders were meeting, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that €3.5 billion would be paid to Kyiv in March as part of the Ukraine Facility. “Europe is there to strengthen Ukraine at this critical time”, stressed Ms von der Leyen.
In a joint declaration, the Presidents of the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament recalled that the EU had provided Ukraine with economic, humanitarian, financial and military aid worth €135 billion, including €48.7 billion in military aid. “The European Union will continue to provide Ukraine with regular and predictable financial support, including reconstruction of the country after the war”, they promised.
Ms von der Leyen also announced that she would be presenting a comprehensive plan to increase European arms production and defence capabilities, “from which Ukraine will also benefit”. “Ukraine has a highly innovative and flourishing defence industry. This should never fuel the arsenals of an aggressive power, but strengthen the resilience of a European Union that is taking on more responsibility for its own security”, she added. In March 2024, the European Commission presented a European Defence Industrial Strategy and an EDIP programme, including support for the Ukrainian defence industry, which is still being negotiated between the Member States (see EUROPE 13364/2).
“We must speed up the immediate delivery of weapons and ammunition, and this will be at the heart of our work in the coming weeks”, also promised the President of the European Commission.
In Brussels, in addition to adopting the 16th package of sanctions against Russia (see other news), the European foreign ministers discussed the High Representative’s proposal to step up military support for Ukraine. Explaining having received “broad support” for her initiative, Kaja Kallas said that the amounts of support would be discussed at the extraordinary European Council scheduled for 6 March, which will focus on support for Ukraine and strengthening Europe’s defence. “We need to discuss things in detail and take our time. The problem is that we don’t have the time”, reiterated Ms Kallas. In her view, it is therefore crucial that on 6 March Europeans are “in a position to take decisions, because it is also important to send out the signal that we are capable of doing so”. The Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caspar Veldkamp, already warned that it will be a “substantial” plan.
In a joint speech with her Danish and Baltic counterparts, Sweden’s Maria Malmer Stenergard called for greater support for Ukraine. “Ukraine must be in a position of strength and in a position to say ‘no’ to a bad agreement. For this to happen, we need to increase military support, now, not in six months or a year”, she warned.
Estonia’s Margus Tsahkna called for the seizure of frozen assets, which he said would release €300 billion. Although the Member States are not yet unanimous on the issue, Ms Kallas explained that a Member State that had previously been reluctant to support the seizure, expressed its support on Monday.
At the UN
In parallel with the meetings in Brussels and Kyiv, the United Nations General Assembly, meeting in New York, adopted two resolutions on Ukraine. A text prepared by Kyiv and the Europeans was adopted by 93 votes to 18, including the United States and Hungary, with 65 abstentions. This resolution emphasises the urgency of ending the war “this year”, and calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and a halt to Russian-led hostilities. To everyone’s surprise, Washington presented another resolution “urging an end to the conflict as soon as possible” and calling for “a lasting peace”. This resolution, which was extensively amended to include a reference to Russia’s responsibility and to the territorial integrity of Ukraine, was adopted by 93 votes in favour, 8 against and 73 abstentions, including that of the United States.
To see the presidents’ joint statement: https://aeur.eu/f/fmy (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Solenn Paulic)