For this reason, the Commission President insists that the European Union must devote all its efforts to supporting the government Volodymyr Zelensky In the middle of the war. This means sending Russian money frozen in the territory of the community to Kyiv, Converted to a “compensation loan”.
The community executive was already proposed in September Loan worth 140,000 million Euro for Ukraine, financed by assets of the Bank of Russia tied up in the Brussels-based financial services company Euroclear. But Belgium prevents him, fearing that Moscow’s revenge will fall only on its territory.
“before The absence of any real intention on the part of Russia to participate in peace talksIt is clear that we must support Ukraine so that it can defend itself. “This starts with ensuring it has the necessary financial means,” von der Leyen said in the European Parliament.
At the October summit, EU heads of state and government – with the exception of Hungary’s Viktor Orban – committed to covering Ukraine’s financial needs for 2026 and 2027. Brussels calculated that Kyiv would need 135 billion euros in totalAdding budget support and military aid.
Since coming to power, Donald Trump cut off economic aid to UkraineSo it is the Europeans who have to foot the entire bill.
After the reservations of the Belgian Prime Minister Bart WeaverThe Commission presented a document containing two other alternatives: direct subsidies by member states or the issuance of joint European debt to support Ukraine.
Both options would place a heavy burden on the national budgets of member states, at a time when their fiscal space is limited and they must also invest in their own defense. For this reason, all governments – except Belgium – support the option of using frozen Russian funds.
Von der Leyen announced in the European Parliament that “the Commission is ready to present the legal text” of the new economic aid plan for Ukraine and explained that it would include the use of the frozen assets of the Bank of Russia.
The plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, during Wednesday’s debate on Ukraine
“I cannot imagine any scenario where European taxpayers would have to foot the bill alone.. This would not be acceptable either. There is something else that must also be clear: any decision in this regard must be adopted in accordance with the rules of the competent judicial authorities and respect European and international law.”
In addition to helping Ukraine, von der Leyen defends the need for the European Union to intensify pressure on Russia, although it remains… No official proposal was presented for the 20th sanctions packageIt also requests the member states closest to the front line.
“The Russian rules of the game have not changed. From the beginning, Russia has always believed that it can outlast Ukraine, Europe and all its allies. For this reason, Every time serious progress is made toward negotiations that can achieve real peace, the violence intensifies.“Says the president.
“We’ve seen it before. It’s a pattern. And the messages that have come from the Kremlin in recent days say a lot about their true intentions. For them, Ukraine remains the first step in a much larger game. For Russia, any peace agreement involves permanently redrawing the maps. “It is about returning to great power relations and spheres of influence.”
Although Ukraine accepted it, the German insisted again on Wednesday that “more efforts are needed” to correct Trump’s plan, although she praised his work on behalf of peace. For the European Union, in addition to financial support, there are other things Four basic priorities Which must be present in the final text.
First, “no restrictions can be imposed on the Ukrainian armed forces that would make the country vulnerable to future attacks.” In addition, Kyiv needs “Strong, durable and credible security guaranteesTo avoid any future attack by Russia. The President stresses that “any peace agreement must guarantee European security in the long term.”
“The second priority is to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty. The Russian mentality has not changed since the time of Yalta: it continues to see our continent in terms of spheres of influence,” von der Leyen warned.
For this reason, The European Union will not accept “the unilateral dismemberment of a sovereign European state.”. He concluded, “Borders cannot be changed by force. If we legitimize and formalize border violations today, we open the door to more wars tomorrow.”
European Parliament President Roberta Mizzola during Wednesday’s debate on Ukraine
The third priority is the need for the European Union and NATO to have a seat at the negotiating table on matters that concern them. “Whatever the design of the future peace treaty, it is clear that a large part of its implementation will fall on the shoulders of the European Union and NATO partners,” the president claims.
“The last priority I want to focus on is the one that cannot be forgotten: The return of all of the Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. There are tens of thousands of boys and girls whose whereabouts are unknown, and Russia has besieged them on Russian soil. We will not forget them,” von der Leyen stressed.
“The next few days are fraught with dangerEspecially for the people of Ukraine, who continue to suffer from the daily bombardment of attacks. Yes, the situation is complicated. Yes, it’s fickle. Yes, it is dangerous,” warned the German.
But I also believe there is a real opportunity to move forward. yet, We have not seen any sign from Russia that it is truly prepared to end this conflict. So we must keep up the pressure on Russia. But it is also our duty to participate in all efforts that can lead to a just and lasting peace.”