EU Delivers €3.5 Billion In Fresh Financial Aid To Ukraine On War’s Third Anniversary

Ursula von der Leyen's ninth visit to Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy comes amid U.S. attempts to negotiate an end to the war bilaterally with Russia, Jorge Liboreiro reported for Euronews.

EU leaders reaffirmed their solidarity with Ukraine and made new pledges of financial and military support. I Photo: Ursula von der Leyen X

Von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv by train to mark the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as Donald Trump's push for negotiations rattles Europe, stoking fears of a rushed deal that could threaten the continent with Putin’s expansionism.

She joined other Western leaders, including Spain's Pedro Sánchez, Denmark's Mette Frederiksen, Lithuania's Gitanas Nausėda, and Canada's Justin Trudeau, at a summit hosted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

One by one, they reaffirmed their solidarity with Ukraine and made new pledges of financial and military support.

Von der Leyen unveiled a €3.5 billion EU financial assistance package aimed at injecting liquidity into Ukraine's strained budget and facilitating the purchase of military equipment from its domestic industry.

The €3.5 billion is an advance on a larger €50 billion assistance fund that the European Union (EU) established in early 2024, dubbed "The Ukraine Facility."

While Brussels has secured Ukraine’s financial needs for the entire year, the supply of weaponry beyond the summer remains uncertain.

"We must speed up the immediate delivery of weapons and ammunition. This will be at the heart of our work in the coming weeks," von der Leyen told a group of media outlets, including Euronews, on her way to Kyiv.

"We believe in a free and sovereign Ukraine on its path towards the EU."

Von der Leyen also announced an initiative to integrate Ukraine and Moldova into the EU's electricity market by the end of the year.