Von der Leyen on peace talks: Waiting for Russia's response
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that work on security and prosperity packages for Ukraine is progressing well, and now the ball is in Russia's court.
Source: von der Leyen after an extraordinary European Council meeting, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine
Details: Von der Leyen said that support for Ukraine had also been a key topic of discussion among EU leaders during the meeting.
Quote: "Work is also progressing well on the security and prosperity packages or aspects of the peace talks. As you know, the security guarantees that we have discussed among others in the Paris meeting on 6 January brought good progress, and now we are waiting for Russia to respond."
Details: Regarding the prosperity package, von der Leyen added that negotiators are "close to an agreement with the United States and Ukraine on one single unified prosperity framework".
Quote: "It looks at how we can boost the prosperity of Ukraine the moment there is the achievement of a ceasefire or peace. And let me share some of the details of this unified paper."
Details: Von der Leyen described it as "a single document representing the collective vision of the Ukrainians, the Americans and Europe for Ukraine's post-war future. It draws actually on the needs assessment work of the World Bank, and it proposes a response that is built around five different pillars."
The first pillar focuses on raising productivity through business-friendly reforms and increased market competition. "The second pillar is about accelerating Ukraine's integration into the EU single market through reforms in key economic sectors. The third pillar is about significantly scaling up investment. And here, the Ukraine investment framework, part of our Ukraine facility, is already in place, so we can use structures that we have already built since the beginning of the war," von der Leyen said.
The fourth pillar concerns strengthening donor coordination, as "we do not only need public money but also need private investment". She added: "And here, too, we have a robust and proven structure that already exists through the Ukraine Donor Platform. This donor platform brings together G7 countries, the European Commission, Ukraine and other partners. And finally, to complement all this for the prosperity of Ukraine, the fifth pillar is about fundamental reforms, a precondition. It means reinforcing the rule of law, stepping up anti-corruption efforts and modernising public administration because this is how we are able to build trust and trust of our partners and trust of the investors is paramount. So this agreement on the prosperity framework is a very important milestone."
Von der Leyen emphasised that the EU is "actively preparing Ukraine's future as a modern, sovereign and free country", adding: "And this is a strong signal to our brave neighbour and partner in difficult times."
She also noted that in response to Russian attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure, the EU is doubling its support for Ukraine.
Quote: "This week, we are deploying 447 emergency generators worth 3.7 million to restore power to hospitals, shelters and critical services."
Background: During the extraordinary European Council meeting on the evening of 22 January, leaders were also to discuss transatlantic relations, agreements with US President Donald Trump on the Greenland situation, his invitation to the EU to join the "Board of Peace" and a peace plan for Ukraine.
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