Passing bill on support for Ukraine is 'in vast American interest': EU Commission chief

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – It is in the vast American interest to pass the bill on support for Ukraine, the president of the EU Commission said Saturday.

"I think we have done a big step forward by agreeing on a €50-billion package in the European Union for Ukraine. That was necessary after actually an investment of €88 billion in the last two years from the European side," Ursula von der Leyen told a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference.

"I think it is in the vast American interest to pass their bill and their package and to keep on supporting Ukraine," she said.

The US Senate approved a $95.34-billion assistance plan for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Tuesday in a 70 - 29 vote, surpassing the 60-vote threshold required in recent years for approval. Approval by the House of Representatives is far from certain.

She stressed that not only Russia is waging war on Ukraine and Western democracies, but all the other "autocratic adversaries that we have are watching very closely" to see if those democracies would prevail.

Von der Leyen, in this context, noted that European countries must ramp up their defense production and investment.

"Therefore, the European Commission will in about three weeks present a defense industrial strategy," she said, and explained that it would be about spending more and ensuring interoperability of the armed forces.

"We will open an office in Kyiv for Defense Innovation together with Ukraine because this is the next level," she added.

She also stressed the need to integrate Ukraine in the EU, "because what we've understood is there cannot be grey zones anymore around Europe."