European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asserted on Tuesday that the European Union will stand with Ukraine "for every single day of the war, and for every single day thereafter." Addressing the European Parliament, she said the EU must "keep up our momentum to support Ukraine and to protect our own future," including military support, reconstruction funding, and "strengthening the international system to avoid any repeats or reruns."
Von der Leyen said the EU has so far trained over 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers and committed €28 billion in military support, increasing the production capacity of the EU's defense industry by 40%. While the EU will deliver 1 million shells to Ukraine by the end of 2024, Von der Leyen said that "this is certainly not enough" and urged member states to accelerate the delivery of ammunition. She added the EU will also integrate Ukraine into some of its defense programs "where necessary."
