It was about the development of the security situation near the borders of Ukraine, as well as the challenges for European energy security, Zelensky drew attention to the threats to Ukraine and all of Europe that the possible launch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would create, the press release said.
Zelensky also thanked von der Leyen for the consistent support of Ukraine and a clear position on the need for tougher sanctions the European Union in relation to the Russian Federation. “The leaders agreed on the need to continue joint coordinated efforts to prevent the escalation of the conflict,” the statement said.
The President of Ukraine thanked the President of the European Commission for the financial support provided by the European Union. The politicians discussed the expansion of further financial assistance to Ukraine.
In turn, von der Leyen stated on Twitter, which, during a conversation with Zelensky, confirmed the readiness of Brussels to support Kiev financially.
“I spoke with President Zelensky. The EU is firmly on the side of Ukraine. We discussed the current security situation. The EU stands ready to provide further financial assistance to Ukraine and strengthen the energy partnership,” she wrote.
I just talked to President @ZelenskyyUa.
The EU is firmly on Ukraine’s side.
We discussed the current security situation.
The EU is ready to provide further financial support to Ukraine and to reinforce our energy partnership.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 21, 2022
–
In April 2020, the European Commission decided to allocate €1.2 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine. First tranche of €600 million Ukraine received in December 2020, second – in October 2021. It was the fifth program of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine from the EU.
In general, Ukraine in 2014-2021 received €5.01 billion in loan assistance from the EU as part of the implementation of five programs, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine reported.
Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanyshina expects Kiev to agree on sixth macro-financial assistance program European Union in the first half of 2022.
–
–