BRUSSELS. May 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says that during the various high-level events in which the leadership of the European Union will take part in the near future, Ukraine will be one of the main topics, and the main message: we will support as long as it takes, peace should be on the terms of Ukraine.
On Monday in Brussels, announcing his participation with President of the European Council Charles Michel in a number of leadership-level events, in particular the European Council Summit in Iceland, the G7 Summit in Hiroshima (Japan) and the EU-Republic of Korea Summit in Seoul, von der Leyen outlined the main topics they intend to discuss. "The first topic, the big topic and important topic is, of course, Ukraine. And here it is about our united response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it’s also about our prolonged, reliable support for this brave nation," she said.
The President of the European Commission is convinced that the countries that support Ukraine "should show the same level of stamina [as Ukrainians do when defending their country] and perseverance." "And I expect the leaders to rally behind this. I also expect the leaders to rally behind two main principles: the one is that we will keep supporting Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes.’ And the second principle is ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," von der Leyen said.
In doing so, she explained the meaning of these principles. "As long as it takes" must translate into stable financial support also after 2023 and accelerated military support, focused on "now and here." "Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine" means very strong support for President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula," the President of the European Commission detailed.
Von der Leyen stated that "Ukraine is the country that was brutally invaded, and it is therefore the one that should set out the core principles for a just peace," and Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula should be the basis for all of efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the war.
In addition, within the framework of the G7 summit, the parties intend to discuss sanctions. "We will, of course, take stock of the existing sanctions and future measures. As you know, the Commission has proposed 11 package of sanctions. It is focused mainly on enforcement and anti-circumvention. And this is being very closely coordinated with our other G7 partners," the President of the European Commission said.
The EU will also call on China to refrain from any support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.