U.S. President Donald Trump has pressed both sides to end the war, though talks are stalling as Putin maintains his maximalist demands about Ukraine and rejects calls for a month-long ceasefire. Trump and other senior officials have indicated the U.S. could pull out of negotiations amid the stalemate.
“We have all seen how Russia negotiates. They bomb. They bully. They bury promises beneath rubble,” von der Leyen said in her speech.
To help Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy negotiate on his own terms, the Commission president said the EU needs to support the country’s defense industry by signing procurement deals with its industry, by cutting off all Russian gas imports and by continuing to move forward with Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
“In our history, peace and European integration have always gone hand in hand. So let us bring Ukraine inside our union. Let us walk the path of peace together,” von der Leyen said.
