European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for stronger support for Ukraine and pledged new initiatives as the country marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“A free and sovereign Ukraine is in the interest of the entire world,” Ms von der Leyen said a few hours before her scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday in Kyiv.

With Ukraine’s budget gap for 2025 now secured, she stressed the urgency of ramping up military aid.

“We must speed up the immediate delivery of weapons
and ammunition,” she said, adding that she will soon present a comprehensive plan to scale up EU arms production and defence capabilities — something Ukraine will also benefit from.

Ms Von der Leyen also announced further measures to increase the energy security of Ukraine and the EU. She said the aim is to fully integrate the electricity markets of Ukraine and Moldova into the EU’s power grid by the end of next year.

“Our close partnership is in the Ukrainian interest, but also in the European interest,” said the former German defence minister.

Ms Von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa are expected in Kyiv on Monday in a show of support on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

(dpa/NAN)