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Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and deepen defence cooperation between the European Union and Ukraine, with a special focus on drone production.
Wednesday’s visit marks the second time this year that the president of the European Commission has travelled to the Ukrainian capital.
Back then, in late February, von der Leyen encountered a bleak landscape. Ukraine was going through a gruelling winter of widespread blackouts caused by Russia’s relentless attacks. Hungary had suddenly blocked the €90 billion support loan, and Kyiv’s accession process was completely paralysed, with no solution in sight.
This second visit plays against a vastly different backdrop.
Ukraine has gained an edge on the battlefield by launching audacious long-range strikes against Russia’s remote oil refineries, triggering a painful fuel crisis that is further tightening the screws on Moscow’s all-consuming war economy.
The €90 billion loan is up and running, and the accession process is moving forward. On Tuesday, Ukraine opened another cluster of negotiations.
“Ukraine has built a strong military momentum. The tide is turning,” von der Leyen said upon arriving in Kyiv.
“The EU is fully playing its part, with our €90 billion loan. In Ukraine, I will announce new initiatives to deepen the integration of our defence industries,” she added.
The discussions are meant to focus on drones, the unmanned aerial vehicles that dominate the battle in the skies as the war of attrition stalls.
Zelenskyy has for weeks teased an imminent “drone deal” between Ukraine and the European Union, details of which are expected to be revealed on Wednesday. One of the key novelties will be the storage of these drones in EU territory.
The two leaders will sell it as a win-win: Ukraine will benefit from Europe’s industrial scale, and Europe will tap into Ukraine’s technological ingenuity.
While in Kyiv, Zelenskyy will decorate von der Leyen with the newly created Order of Europe, an award that honours those who help defend Ukraine’s right as an independent nation and advance its path towards EU membership.
She will also participate in the 5th edition of the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit alongside the leaders of Croatia, Moldova and Romania, among others.