Subscribe here: bit.ly/eudebates The EU and Ukraine continue to work to advance their EU accession negotiations, the President of the European executive said. Ursula von der Leyen, during a press conference in Kiev with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. “We are approaching, unfortunately, a thousand days of aggression by Russia, and we are impressed by Ukraine's continued courage, which we can only seek to match with our enduring friendship and solidarity, and with the prospect of a peaceful future for Ukraine in the European Union,” he said.
“Less than three months ago, Ukraine took an important decision with the first intergovernmental conference. It was a testimony to the great strides the country has made in EU-related reforms, while fighting Russian aggression. It is impressive to see that our aim now is, with the agreement of the member states, to open negotiations on the Core Principles cluster as soon as possible. This is an important point, and then we can also move forward with the other clusters,” said von der Leyen.
The new €35 billion loan that the EU will provide to Ukraine will be backed by profits from frozen Russian assets, the President of the European Commission announced. “We understand the huge financing needs created by the war. You need to keep your state and your economy functioning and, at the same time, strengthen your capacity to defend yourself against Russian aggression. We have supported you from the beginning with over €118 billion from Europe, but Russia’s relentless attacks make further support necessary, which is why I am pleased to announce that today the Commission has adopted proposals that will allow the European Union to lend €35 billion from the G7 pledge,” she said.
“This is a huge step forward. We are now confident that we can disburse this loan to Ukraine very quickly, a loan that is backed by profits from Russian immobilized assets. This loan will flow directly into your national budget. This will improve Ukraine's macro-financial stability and provide it with significant and much-needed fiscal space,” von der Leyen added. “You will decide how best to use the funds, giving you maximum flexibility to meet your needs. And this will free up more national resources to, for example, strengthen your military capabilities and defend yourself from Russian aggression,” she said.
The Ukrainian president held a “long and substantial” meeting in Kiev with the president of the European Commission to discuss European security support. The head of state stressed the importance of using the European Peace Facility, as these funds will have a direct impact on the defense capabilities and frontline positions of the Ukrainian forces. The defense sector was also at the center of the conversation. In particular, Zelensky and von der Leyen discussed the ways and funds needed to protect Ukraine's energy infrastructure, especially in the winter. The issue of the use of Russian assets blocked abroad was also among the topics of the meeting. As Zelensky stressed, it is only necessary to define “a clear mechanism” to implement the decision to use Russian assets for Ukraine's needs. Ukraine's accession to the EU was also at the center of the discussion.
“Our teams will work on accelerating the negotiation process, and today we agreed (…) on the program of dialogue,” Zelensky said. It was also about the increased pressure of sanctions on Russia. The president also thanked the EU for its decision to help Ukrainian schools buy food for students. Ukraine should be strengthened as much as possible before the second peace summit that is scheduled to be held this year, Zelensky said. “I want to thank (the EU) for our joint work on the implementation of the peace formula, the only real format for ending the war with a truly just and lasting peace,” the president said. Zelensky added that a new peace summit could “end this war” and not just freeze the conflict. “All of us in Europe are equally interested in peace. Peace is not the freezing of war, not any manipulation of international law and morality. Peace must be reliable and it will be,” the Ukrainian head of state reiterated.
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20 сен 2024
