Brussels, 7 February 2024
Thank you, dear Prime Minister. Thank you, dear Denys [Shmyhal],
This is my fourth visit since Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and it is my sixth visit during my mandate as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign [Affairs] and Security Policy.
And for our foreign and security policy, there is nothing more important than to support you. For our foreign policy, and for our security policy – because this war is also a war that affects directly our security.
So, believe me, my dear Prime Minister, Ukraine remains a top priority for the European Union, and in particular, for our foreign and security policy.
Thank you for receiving me again here in Kyiv.
I am sorry, my dear Prime Minister, to have to start my words by paying a tribute to the innocent civilians that have been killed here in Kyiv, and in other places of Ukraine, during this last night by the indiscriminate attacks by the Russian aggressor.
I, myself, and my team, we had the experience of running to the shelter as thousands and thousands of Ukrainians are used to do – more than 40,000 times since the start of the war.
There are moments that mark your personal history, and one of these moments for me was my visit two years ago – almost by the day, I think it was the 6th of January 2022 – when we were sitting together in your office and you told me: “Russia is going to attack us and when this happens, are you going to support us?” This is a question that is very vividly in my mind.
And yes, I am happy to say that we have been committed to supporting you in your rightful defence against the aggressor, and on your European Union path. Both things go together. You have to win the war and you have to win the peace. And the best way of winning both is your way to the European Union.
Yes, Ukraine remains a top priority for the European Union and your European Union membership [remains a priority too].
And thank you for your extensive and comprehensive review of all the issues on which we have to continue engaging, both on our military support, and on the necessary reforms that you have to develop on this European path that touches a lot of issues from transportation, to energy, to reconstruction, to trade.
We will continue discussing that at the next Association Council meeting scheduled for the first days of March, in Brussels.
But my dear Prime Minister, I am here today to convey a strong message of solidarity. You do not need standing ovations. You do not need to hear how much we appreciate the courage of your soldiers and your people. What you need is support: support in financial terms and in military terms – ammunitions and weapons.
Let me summarise something that I think is important for the public opinion to know. Since the beginning of the war, from our meeting two years ago in the first days of January [2022], in the last two years, the European Union has been providing to Ukraine a support that can be measured as about €88 billion [and] out of them, €28 billion on military support.
And on top of that, this important decision of the European Council – the meeting of the leaders of the European Union – to approve a proposal of €50 billion on civilian support that now is being discussed by the budgetary authorities of the European Union, who are both the [European] Parliament and the Council [of the European Union]. And I have complete assurance that the Parliament will approve it by the end of the month, in order to be immediately implemented.
On my side, I am working to develop this Ukraine Assistance Fund inside the European Peace Facility.
As I said, in the two last years, the military support both bilateral – each Member State to you directly – and then the European Union, through the European Peace Facility, amounts to €28 billion.
Now, we are discussing a new top-up in order for this year to continue increasing this support, and in particular to continue supporting you with the delivery of ammunition that you have been mentioning rightly.
Our defence industry is increasing its capacity. It has increased [its production capacity] by 40% since the beginning of the war. And I can be sure that by the end of the year, the total amount of ammunition delivered as donations will be about 1.155 million, which is quite a precise figure.
But you know very well that on top of that, we have to consider also not [only] the donations but the supplies that directly the European defence industry is producing for you through bilateral contracts.
I thank you a lot for the clarification on some data that will help me a lot in order to continue pushing for this support to be effectively implemented.
At the same time, dear Prime Minister, your country has to continue the reforms, making significant progress on your European path despite the difficult war conditions. Ukraine has shown extraordinary resilience and exceptional unity of the society and a great consensus among the main political forces on key goals for the nation.
There are political divergences, democracy is about political divergences, certainly. But the unity is key for your victory. The key.
I was happy to say that to the members of the [Verkhovna] Rada this morning, to underline how important it is to keep effectively working the democratic mechanisms, the rule of law and anticorruption, but it is also very much important to do that – keeping the unity of the country, the political forces and the society from the challenges of the war.
Dear Prime Minister,
We, at the European Union, we will never be able to match your sacrifices. But we can, and we will stand with Ukraine, in full solidarity with this nation and its people.
We have to commit ourselves to do and provide “whatever it takes”. We should not say “for how long as it takes”, but “whatever it takes”. It is not a measure of time. It is a measure of quantity and quality of our support right now when it is needed.
Whatever it takes for Ukraine to prevail in your just defence against the aggressor and for a European, democratic, and peaceful future for Ukraine.
Slava Ukrayiny!
Link to the video (starting at 16:00): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-252676
Source – EEAS