Von der Leyen reaffirms EU support for Ukraine’s accession, defence plans

On July 20, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had a "very good" phone call with Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi, reaffirming the European Union's support for Ukraine's reform agenda, defence cooperation and energy security.

In a post on X, von der Leyen said the EU would continue working closely with Kyiv on reforms needed to advance Ukraine's accession process to the bloc.

She said the two sides discussed the EU-Ukraine "Drone Deal", which she said would leverage the EU's industrial capacity to rapidly expand production of Ukraine's defence equipment.

Von der Leyen added that the conversation also covered preparations for the coming winter and the protection of Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure.

"You can count on our full support, including in your work to improve the energy sector's governance," she wrote.

By Aghakazim Guliyev