The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urged to accelerate the 'immediate' delivery of military aid to Ukraine in the coming weeks and announced the upcoming presentation of a comprehensive plan to strengthen the production and defensive capabilities of the European Union.
"We must accelerate the immediate delivery of weapons and ammunition (to Ukraine). And this will be the focus of our work in the coming weeks," said von der Leyen in a statement before heading to Kyiv. She expressed this to a group of journalists, including one from the European Newsroom platform, to which EFE belongs.
The head of the community executive hinted that she will soon present a comprehensive plan on how to increase the production of weapons and the defense capabilities of the EU, benefiting Ukraine. The President of the European Council, António Costa, has called an extraordinary summit of EU leaders for March 6 in Brussels, with the aim of addressing the situation in Ukraine and European defense in general.
"We are living a decisive moment for Ukraine and European security," Costa emphasized. Von der Leyen stressed the importance of a "free and sovereign Ukraine on its path to the European Union."
The President of the European Commission stated that the EU will support a sovereign Ukraine and highlighted the country's "highly innovative and thriving" defense industry, which will contribute to strengthening the EU's resilience in terms of security.
Regarding Russia, the EU is expected to impose more sanctions if it does not show a genuine willingness to achieve a lasting peace agreement in Ukraine. The foreign ministers of the European Union will officially approve new sanctions against Russia coinciding with the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
Among the measures will be more restrictions on the so-called Russian "ghost fleet" and an expansion of the list of sanctioned individuals and entities. In addition, a new fund will be discussed to supply Ukraine with more ammunition and defensive support.
