Strengthening of the energy industry, Ukraineʼs accession to the EU and the use of frozen Russian assets. Zelensky talk with von der Leyen

On Friday, September 20, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv and had a one-on-one conversation with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

At the briefing following the results of the meeting, Zelensky said that the negotiations were "long and as meaningful as possible." They talked, in particular, about the use of the funds of the European Peace Fund and the Aid Fund for Ukraine for the permanent support of the Defense Forces; strengthening of the Ukrainian energy industry; full use of frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine; speeding up negotiations on joining the EU, as well as increasing sanctions pressure on Russia.

Energy

Ursula von der Leyen noted that the European Commission has developed a plan to support the Ukrainian energy industry in the winter period. It envisages the restoration of 2.5 GW of energy capacity, as well as the further joining of Ukraine to the European energy network. In addition, the EU plans to export 2 GW of electricity to Ukraine and ensure a stable energy supply in all regions. Thanks to this, it will be possible to cover more than 25% of energy needs in winter.

"Now we ship mobile gas turbines, solar panels. We also discussed issues related to the protection of power plants," said von der Leyen.

Use of assets of the Russian Federation for the benefit of Ukraine

President Zelensky separately noted the additional support from the EU for winter preparations announced the day before in the amount of approximately €160 million, €100 million of which was allocated from the revenues from frozen Russian assets.

Zelensky emphasized that the full use of frozen Russian assets is necessary to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression, a clear mechanism for allocating the $50 billion for which there is agreement and a general decision at the political level, as well as strengthening sanctions against Russia.

Von der Leyen said that the European Commission has adopted proposals that will allow the EU to grant Ukraine a loan of up to €35 billion at the expense of the frozen assets of the Russian Federation.

"It is very important that this loan goes directly to your state budget. This will improve Ukraineʼs macro-financial stability and provide you with significant fiscal support. You will decide how best to use these funds," said Ursula von der Leyen.

International cooperation

Zelensky thanked for joint work for the full implementation of the Peace Formula. According to him, it is necessary to strengthen Ukraine as much as possible in order to hold the second Peace Summit already this year.

The leaders paid special attention to Ukraineʼs accession to the EU.

"Our teams will work to accelerate the process of such important negotiations for us," the president added.

Zelensky also noted that he plans to present the victory plan to US President Joe Biden on September 26. He noted that he is not disclosing the details of the document, because he must first discuss it with Biden.

According to the President of Ukraine, the implementation of some points of this plan depends only on the decision of the United States. Zelensky is counting on support from Biden and the quick implementation of the plan with partners.

"The plan is designed for decisions that should take place from October to December. And do not drag out these processes. We would really like that. Then we will assume that the plan will work," he added.