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The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has arrived in Kyiv to participate in the celebrations for the Day of Ukrainian Statehood. She was accompanied by several European leaders, including Moldovan President Maia Sandu, the presidents of Romania and Albania, and the prime ministers of Croatia and Slovakia. During the bilateral meetings between the EU leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, discussions focused on Ukraine’s European integration process, economic support, and security cooperation.
Statement by Ursula Von Der Leyen President of the European Commission:
“My first point is then about how we are teaming up to protect your skies. Indeed, we have just launched our Defense Industrial Partnership. That’s a big step, and at its heart is a new drone deal. Now, what is it about? It’s, very concretely, this new cooperation will be built around joint ventures, with targeted technology transfers, expertise, and investment in dual-use sectors in Ukraine. The goal is to bring together the best of the Ukrainian and the European Union’s drone ecosystem. That is, for example, Ukrainian ingenuity tested every day on the battlefield, and the European Union’s industrial strength able to produce at speed and at scale. We will not only develop the next-generation drones and counter-drone systems together, but we will also manufacture them faster than ever before, so that Ukraine gets what it needs now, and Europe as a whole builds the capabilities it might need for tomorrow.
Statement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine
Dear Ursula, ladies and gentlemen, members of our teams, esteemed journalists. Today is an important day, the Day of Ukrainian Statehood. And on this day, rightfully, a lot of attention is focused on our relations with the European Union. This is both our gratitude… and to Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, thank you very much to you personally and to all our European friends for the support Ukraine has received since the beginning of the full-scale war. This is also our Ukrainian and European determination to go all the way to Ukraine’s full accession to the European Union. Today in Europe, everyone agrees: we deserve to be a full member of the EU. I am grateful to the European Union for its record support for Ukraine, indeed, for its financial and political leadership, and defense assistance. It is the European financial support package worth 50 billion euros for four years that now provides us with financial stability and predictability.