In her State of the Union speech, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she wants to expand trade between the EU and Ukraine, particularly in the energy sector, DW reported.
Ukraine will also be welcomed into the European free roaming area, which allows seamless mobile phone use throughout the bloc, von der Leyen said as she announced she will travel to Kyiv on Wednesday to help bring Ukraine into the European Union’s single market.
Wearing Ukrainian colors, the EU Commission chief stressed that the EU’s support for Ukraine will remain “unshakeable” and that sanctions on Russia would continue as they were weakening the Russian economy.
“Much is at stake, and we will be tested by those who want to exploit any kind of division between us. This is not only a war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine. This is also a war on our energy, it’s a war on our economy, it is a war on our values and our future. It is about autocracy against democracy. And I stand here with the conviction that with the necessary courage, with the necessary solidarity, Putin will fail, and Ukraine and Europe will prevail,” she added.
Ursula von der Leyen also told the European Union’s eastern neighbors — Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia — that their future lies in the EU.
“You are part of our family, you are the future of our union,” von der Leyen said. “Our union is not complete without you,” she added.
