Von der Leyen: We must speed up immediate delivery of weapons, ammunition to Ukraine
Vladimir Putin is applying more efforts than ever to win the war against Ukraine, and the EU must speed up the immediate deliveries of weapons and ammunitions to Ukraine, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said on Tuesday.
"Putin is trying harder than ever to win this war on the ground. His goal remains Ukraine's capitulation. And the we know what could happen next, because it has already happened before. He would move on to the next target, just like he did after 2008 and 2014. It is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It's Europe's destiny. It is our first priority that we empower Ukraine's resistance," she said during the EU Ambassadors Conference.
The President of the Commission recalled that the EU and its member states "have supported Ukraine at the tune of EUR 134 billion, and thanks to the Ukraine Facility and G7 loan, we have closed Ukraine's budgetary gap for the entire year of 2025."
"In parallel, we must speed up the immediate delivery of weapons and ammunition. And this will be at the heart of our work in the coming weeks," she said.
She also emphasized that "no one wants peace more than the people of Ukraine, but there is only one path to the just and lasting peace they are longing for. This runs through the military and financial strength for Ukraine."
"At the same time, this is also the moment for maximum pressure on Russia. Its economy is struggling with high inflation and interest rates," von der Leyen said.
According to her, the EU's 16th sanctions package is on its way and it is extremely important that the members states continue to extend the freeze of Russia's assets.
"Now we can continue to put our minds to work on the most creative use of these assets to support Ukraine's fight of freedom. We must show to the Kremlin that the longer the war, the higher the price for Russia," she said.
The President of the European Commission also stated that 2025 "must be a year of progress for all those countries that are on the merits-based path for joining the European Union."