Ursula von der Leyen has called for “comprehensive” security guarantees for Ukraine that can deter future Russian aggression.
The European Union must “urgently” rearm and help Ukraine turn into a “steel porcupine” that proves “indigestible for future invaders” like Russia, Ursula von der Leyen said at the conclusion of a high-stakes summit in London attended by 19 Western leaders.
“We have to put Ukraine in a position of strength,” the president of the European Commission told reporters gathered outside Lancaster House.
The country must have “the means to fortify and strengthen itself” and ensure its “economic survival and military resilience” in the short and long term.
These means, she explained, should include continued financial and military support from allies and “comprehensive” security guarantees to safeguard a potential peace agreement with Russia. Von der Leyen did not detail the security guarantees.
In parallel to this effort, she added, the bloc must unleash a “surge” in defence spending to meet the security challenges brought by Russia’s aggression.
“We really have to step up massively,” von der Leyen said. “It is now of utmost importance to step up the defence investment for a prolonged period of time. It’s for the security of the European Union. And we need (…) to prepare for the worst.”
The Commission chief is expected to present a new plan on 6 March, the date of an emergency EU summit in Brussels, to drastically boost defence spending across the 27 member states. The plan will consist of three pillars, she said earlier this week: the relaxation of fiscal rules to allow greater public financing, the mobilisation of common EU money and the larger participation of the European Investment Bank.
“We urgently have to rearm Europe,” she said.
Her comments come two days after the diplomatic debacle at the Oval Office that saw US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly berate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his supposed lack of gratitude. Zelenskyy has nonetheless repeatedly thanked America for its substantial assistance throughout the war.
Zelenskyy complained that the multi-billion minerals deal pitched by the Trump administration, which is devoid of security guarantees, would fail to deter Vladimir Putin from launching a new assault sometime in the future.
The clash led to the abrupt cancellation of Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House and triggered an intense backlash across Europe, with heads of state and government speaking in quasi-unison to express strong backing for the wartime leader.
The unprecedented scenes loomed heavily over the summit in London.
Asked about what sort of message she would like to deliver to Trump, the Commission chief kept things simple and direct.
“We are ready, together with you, to defend democracy, to defend the principle that there is a rule of law that you cannot invade (and) bully your neighbour or cannot change borders with force,” von der Leyen said.
“It’s in our common interest to prevent future wars.”