Kyiv, 11 June 2022 (TDI): President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen visited Ukraine today. She met with the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two leaders held a joint press point in Kyiv.
von der Leyen highlighted taking stock of the joint work needed for reconstruction as well as of the progress made by Ukraine on its path to the EU membership.
She praised the Ukrainians for showing incredible strength and stamina.
Moreover, she said she was in Kyiv to continue discussions on their efforts to support the rebuilding of the beautiful country.
The people of Ukraine are showing incredible strength and stamina.
Today I’m in Kyiv to continue discussions on our efforts to support in rebuilding your beautiful country.
And the process of advancing on the 🇪🇺 path. https://t.co/C0Cij7Evpt
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 11, 2022
The European Commission President stated that Ukraine is a solid parliamentary democracy and was already on a good track before the Russian invasion.
In addition, she said the ongoing war is a stress test that is enormous and the entire country is stepping up. Likewise, von der Leyen underlined that the reformation and modernization of the country require a similar spirit.
Most importantly, the EC President affirmed support for the Ukrainians as she maintained Europe’s support for them.
Furthermore, von der Leyen added that they are working together on a reconstruction platform to channel contributions.
Thus, she said there is a very large interest worldwide to help Ukraine rise from the ashes. It includes NGOs, businesses as well as international institutions.
She maintained that they want to channel investments and deliver reforms to improve the lives of Ukrainians. The interest is also in making the country more attractive to investors and supporting Ukraine in pursuing its path to EU membership.
EC’s recommendation for EU members
Additionally, von der Leyen said the EU Commission is preparing its recommendation for the EU Member States.
This year in March, Ukraine submitted its EU membership bid. Following this, the EU Commission is expected to issue its assessment. That is on whether the country should be granted candidate status next Friday.
Above all, the European Commission President indicated that her discussions today with
President Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal will enable them to conclude their assessment. Therefore, von der Leyen appreciated the efforts and determination of Ukraine during this process.
