President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, together with President of the European Council António Costa, travelled to Ukraine this week to mark the tragic four-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine. This is President von der Leyen's tenth wartime visit to the Ukrainian capital. The presence of European leaders reaffirmed Europe's unwavering support for Ukraine, both financially and militarily, in the face of a particularly harsh winter. President von der Leyen and President Costa participated in the official memorial ceremony commemorating the four years of the war and took part in a press conference with President Zelenskyy.
The President praised the resilience of the Ukrainian people and reiterated the EU's support stating: "Even in the face of this terror, the resilience of the Ukrainian people remains undimmed. We have seen four years of extraordinary courage from your soldiers and citizens, whose bravery will echo through history. This will never be forgotten. In those four years, the support from your friends and allies has been unwavering - in Europe and beyond." The EU's support to Ukraine has been steadfast since Russia's invasion in 2022 and the EU remains Ukraine's biggest donor with nearly 200 billion euro in military and financial aid.
The President highlighted how the EU's support will be maintained and reinforced through the 90-billion-euro 'steel porcupine' loan to Ukraine. She firmly stated: "Let me be crystal clear – and the President of the Council also said it –, the loan was agreed by 27 Heads of State and Government at the European Council. They have given their word. It cannot be broken. We will deliver on the loan one way or the other." President von der Leyen spelled out the three main priorities of the loan: addressing Ukraine's defence needs, helping Ukraine through winter and ensuring energy security, and maintaining maximum pressure on Russia.
The EU has supported and will continue to support Ukraine's defence needs. The President spelled out how the EU will keep on working hand in hand with Ukraine, stating: "It will help to procure, to produce, to develop, and to secure advanced defence equipment for the brave Ukrainian forces." She explained: "It includes drones and ammunition. In parallel, we are working intensely on the integration of both our defence industries. We can learn a lot from the Ukrainian defence industry. You can count on us with our well-established structures in the defence industries. More integration is the goal." President von der Leyen noted that work has already begun on this military support package, with delivery planned before Easter.
The President of the Commission insisted on the importance to support Ukraine through the harsh winter. The EU is the largest donor of energy support to a value of 3 billion euro and has provided 11,000 generators since the start of the war, including nearly 1,000 in January alone. President von der Leyen also announced further measures: "This is a package of 100 million euro to deliver immediate winter support. And while we help you through this winter, we start preparing for the next one. Together, we will work on a new Winter Energy Plan for 2026-2027. We call it 'Repair, Rebuild, Restart'." The package aims to stabilise the energy system, secure electricity flow, accelerate decentralised renewable energy production, repair grids, and restart damaged power plants. The President also announced a meeting of ministers in the 'Energy Ramstein' format would be convened to ensure Ukraine gets the supplies and material it needs. The President's commitment was further strengthened by the visit to an energy infrastructure site damaged by Russian military strikes where both European leaders saw firsthand the damaged caused by Russia.
President von der Leyen also addressed the issue of energy security within the European Union condemning the Russian attack on the Druzhba pipeline and thanking Croatian Prime Minister Plenković for Croatia's efforts to secure and increase the transport of oil to Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia through the Adriatic pipeline.
Finally, the President of the Commission insisted on the importance to maintain maximum pressure on Russia. She announced the upcoming 20th sanction package should be finalised soon and further stressed: "Our sanctions will keep draining Russia's revenues and weakening its war machine. And we are closely coordinating with our G7 partners for maximum scope and impact."
President von der Leyen concluded her statement paying tribute to the soldiers fighting in the trenches: "[The Ukrainian soldiers] fight for peace. They fight for a better future for their children. They fight for a simple dream of a free and sovereign Ukraine, at the heart of a free Europe. So let me conclude by saying to them, Europe will stand with you until you have made that a dream come true."
In the margins of the anniversary commemorations, the President has also attended the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, where the leaders discussed stepping up military support, as well as delivering robust security guarantees to Ukraine. Commissioners Kos for Enlargement, Kubilius for Defence, and Jørgensen for Energy and Housing were also in Kyiv, joining the efforts to reinforce EU support across key sectors.
