Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kiev by train on Monday morning to mark the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Her visit comes as Donald Trump’s big push for negotiations rattled European allies, fueling fears that a hasty deal could leave the entire continent vulnerable to Kremlin expansionism.
The European Commission President is expected to unveil a €3.5 billion financial aid package to inject additional liquidity into Ukraine’s strained budget and facilitate the purchase of military equipment by its domestic industry.
As the media outlet in question points out, the 3.5 billion euros is an advance on a larger 50 billion euro aid fund that the European Union created at the beginning of 2024.
While Brussels has managed to cover Ukraine’s financial needs for the entire year, the supply of weapons after the summer remains uncertain.
“We need to accelerate the immediate delivery of weapons and ammunition. And this will be at the heart of our work in the coming weeks,” von der Leyen told a group of media on her way to the city.
We believe in a free and sovereign Ukraine on its path to the European Union.
Von der Leyen will also announce an initiative to integrate Ukraine and Moldova into the bloc’s electricity market by the end of the year.
The visit is von der Leyen’s ninth to Ukraine since the start of the large-scale invasion, but comes against a completely different backdrop to her previous trips.