EU Commission chief vows to support Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - EU Commission chief vowed on Thursday to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”

Ursula von der Leyen spoke at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the country’s capital Kyiv following their negotiations.

She asserted that the EU will never be able to compensate the Ukrainian people for their sacrifices and fight for “democracy, for humanity, for the respect of international rule of law,” but reassured them of having “your European friends by your side as long as it takes.”

Von der Leyen welcomed the “determination” of the Ukrainian government to go ahead with the EU accession process, and underlined that it is “right on track.”

She confirmed that the EU will mobilize €100 million ($100 million) to rebuild schools in Ukraine, in addition to the already committed €150 million support for providing shelter for the internally displaced people during the winter.

The two leaders also discussed the details of the second tranche of the bloc’s €5 billion micro-financial assistance that EU lawmakers approved earlier on Thursday.

For his part, Zelenskyy stated that “European countries can receive from Ukraine cheap electricity” to counterbalance the effects of the Russian threat to cut the gas supply and soaring electricity prices.

He said they touched upon other ways to enlarge Ukrainian electricity supply to the bloc, as well as Ukraine’s integration into the EU single market which he considers a priority.

Von der Leyen was awarded the First Class of the Order of Yaroslav the Wise by Ukraine during her visit.