“The statement was made against the background of the return to power of Donald Trump in the USA, who on the first day of his presidency announced a decision to reduce international aid”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“We have already supported Ukraine for almost 130 billion euros. And we will continue to support Ukraine without any doubts. Whatever happens next, it is important for us that Ukraine remains an independent country and that it is Ukraine that makes decisions regarding its territory,” Von der Leyen emphasized.
Her statement came against the background of Donald Trump’s return to power in the US, who on the very first day of his presidency announced a decision to cut international aid.
Speaking about relations with the United States, the head of the European Commission emphasized readiness for dialogue, but on a principled basis: “Our first priority will be early involvement in the discussion of common interests and readiness for negotiations. We will be pragmatic, but we will always defend our principles,” said von der Leyen.
The president of the European Commission noted that the world has entered a “new era of fierce geostrategic competition”, where leading economies compete for access to raw materials, new technologies and global trade routes – from artificial intelligence to clean technologies, from quantum computing to space.
“With increased competition, we are likely to continue to see frequent use of economic tools such as sanctions, export controls and tariffs aimed at protecting economic and national security,” she added.
In order to adapt to the new conditions, the European Commission will next week present a “competitiveness road map”, which will determine the work of the EU for the next five years. According to von der Leyen, Europe needs to “shift gears” to sustain growth in the next quarter of a century.
US President Donald Trump was one of the first after his inauguration to sign a decree on a temporary pause in the provision of US foreign aid to other countries for 90 days to assess the effectiveness and consistency of the relevant programs with US foreign policy. The document was published by the White House.
Trump has long opposed foreign aid, even though such aid typically amounts to about 1 percent of the federal budget, except in extraordinary circumstances, such as the billions in weapons given to Ukraine. Trump has criticized the amount of funding allocated to aid Ukraine amid a large-scale Russian invasion.