European capitals

Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv by train on Monday morning to mark the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine and as Donald Trump’s big push for negotiations rattles European allies, stoking fears a rushed deal could leave the entire continent vulnerable to the Kremlin’s expansionism.

The president of the European Commission joined other Western leaders, such as Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, Lithuania’s Gitanas Nausėda and Canada’s Justin Trudeau, in a special summit hosted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. One by one, they all spoke to reaffirm their solidarity with the country under invasion and made new pledges of financial and military support.

In her remarks, von der Leyen unveiled a €3.5 billion package of EU financial assistance to inject additional liquidity into Ukraine’s strained budget and facilitate, among other things, the purchase of military equipment from its domestic industry.

The €3.5 billion is an advance on a larger €50-billion assistance fund that the European Union established in early 2024, dubbed “the Ukraine Facility

While Brussels has managed to cover Ukraine’s financial needs for the entire year, the supply of weaponry after the summer remains uncertain.

“We must speed up the immediate delivery of weapons and ammunition. And this will be at the heart of our work in the coming weeks,” von der Leyen told a group of media outlets, including Euronews, on her way to the city.

“We believe in a free and sovereign Ukraine on its path towards the European Union

Von der Leyen also announced an initiative to integrate Ukraine and Moldova into the bloc’s electricity market by the end of the year.

She is joined in Kyiv by her College of European Commissioners, who are scheduled to meet with their counterparts from the Ukrainian government to deepen ties.

The visit is the ninth von der Leyen has made to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, but comes against a sharply different backdrop from her previous trips.

European capitals are nervously watching as Donald Trump’s attempts to launch a peace process between Ukraine and Russia have upended three years of transatlantic policy

Tensions are running high after Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, calling him a “dictator without elections” and blaming the invasion on Ukraine, rather than Russia. The remarks, which aligned with the Kremlin’s talking points, prompted outrage in Europe and cast serious doubts about Trump’s ability, or willingness, to moderate peace talks.

Despite the backlash, the Republican president has shown no appetite for toning it down.

“I’ve been watching this man (Zelenskyy) for years now, as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as the soldiers get decimated,” Trump said last week in an interview. “I’ve been watching for years, and I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it. You just get sick of it. And I’ve had it.”

Zelenskyy later said he would be willing to step down as president if it meant peace and NATO membership for his country. “I’m focused on Ukraine’s security today, not in 20 years, and I have no intention of staying in power for a decade. This is my focus and my greatest aspiration,” he said in a press conference.

Since Trump held a 90-minute phone call on 12 February with Vladimir Putin, uncoordinated with allies, Brussels has been trying to find its place in the fast-moving chain of events to ensure its interests and concerns are taken into account.

Last week saw a flurry of diplomatic activity, with calls and meetings between European leaders to close ranks and solidify political unity. More talks are already under way: Macron will fly to Washington to meet face-to-face with Trump and Costa will host an emergency summit of all 27 EU leaders on 6 March.

During that summit, von der Leyen intends to present a “comprehensive plan” to scale up arms production and defence capabilities across the bloc, which could also “benefit” Ukraine by bringing fresh weaponry into the fight against Russian troops, she said.

It’s unclear if the blueprint will suffice to convince the White House that Europe deserves a seat at the negotiating table. Despite the continent seeing its long-term security intrinsically linked to Ukraine’s stability, so far it has been sidelined from the negotiations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has tried to reassure democratic allies by keeping them updated on his contacts with Russia and insisting the outreach does not represent an abrupt departure in America’s foreign policy. Rubio has said Europeans would be invited to the table when the time comes to grant sanctions relief to the Kremlin.

On her way to Kyiv, von der Leyen raised the bar for offering Putin any concessions. “We will increase punitive sanctions against Russia unless they demonstrate true willingness to achieve a lasting peace agreement,” she said.

“A free and sovereign Ukraine is in the interest of the entire world.”