The current energy crisis and inflation in Europe will not stop the EU’s support for Ukraine, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who added that “we should have listened more to Ukraine” and “take Malonka more seriously.”

“Putin always tried to divide us where there was a crack,” von der Leyen told the Kyiv Independent. “But it’s good to see that it was never successful.”

The current energy crisis and double-digit inflation in Europe will not stop the EU’s support for Ukraine, said von der Leyen. Europe will be ready for winter even without Russian gas, she added.

According to the official, since February, European institutions and EU members have offered Ukraine more than 19 billion euros.

“The ties between the European Union and Ukraine are stronger today than ever,” said von der Leyen, who oversaw Ukraine’s long-awaited EU candidate status in June.

We should have taken Putin more seriously

Asked why Europe has been blind to Russia in the past, von der Leyen said it was “very difficult” to assess. Personal ties to Russia may be one of the factors.

“I said in my (State of the Union) speech that we should have listened more to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe,” she said. “We should have listened more to Ukraine.”

“Furthermore, we should have listened more to — or taken more seriously — what Putin had to say, since he made his views known months before this war began.”

In July 2021, the Kremlin published Putin’s article “On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians”, denying Ukraine the right to exist as a sovereign state. Many said that by then Putin was already determined to start an all-out war.

Now is the time to overcome the mistakes of the past, and Europe strongly supports the Ukrainian cause – politically, militarily and financially, said von der Leyen.

Von der Leyen is convinced that Ukraine will win the war

Now the main goal is for Ukraine to win the defensive war against Russia and rebuild the country after Russia’s defeat.

“I am deeply convinced that you will win this war,” von der Leyen said. “Of course, there will be many, many years of rebuilding. But we have to do it together.”

And, according to von der Leyen, only Ukraine can decide under what conditions the war will end.

“There is a clear rule: Ukraine determines the conditions. It’s your decision,” von der Leyen said.

“This is a very clear principle for the European Union and the heads of state and government, because you are a sovereign country and this is your future.”

About joining the EU

The President of the European Commission stated that Ukraine is on the way to fulfilling the seven conditions proposed by the EU before the start of accession negotiations.

The conditions include judicial and anti-corruption reforms, implementation of the anti-oligarchic law, establishment of transparency of media ownership and equal conditions on the media market, development of legislation on national minorities in accordance with EU principles.

The Ukrainian government has stated that it expects to fulfill the preconditions and start accession negotiations in the spring of 2023.

“I can now see that the accession process is on the right track,” von der Leyen said, adding that it would take time, however.