Von der Leyen in the European Parliament: Supporting Ukraine is a strategic goal for the EU.

Continuing and strengthening support for Ukraine while Putin makes every effort to break Ukrainian resistance is a strategic imperative for the EU, said EC President Ursula von der Leyen in the European Parliament. She noted that after three years of full-scale war, Russia has not been able to break Ukrainian resistance. Putin is now trying to do this with the use of new weapons, with new troops from North Korea, and with new attacks on energy infrastructure.

Von der Leyen stressed that in 2025 Ukraine’s funding gap is estimated at $42B. The EU, together with its partners, will help close this gap. Next year, the bloc will allocate €13B for Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Fund. And in January, it will start transferring its share of the G7 loan, secured by Russian assets, which will amount to more than €18B.

The heads of the UK and Estonian governments have stated the need to apply further pressure on Putin through military and economic support for Ukraine, as well as sanctions.