European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her conviction on Wednesday that Ukraine and Europe will survive and Russian President Vladimir Putin will fail in his war, through the unity and courage of the countries of Europe.
In her State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Der Leyen said that this is not only a war waged by Russia against Ukraine, but a war on energy, economy, values ​​and the future, in addition to confronting tyranny against democracy.
She stressed that Europe has a lot to do not only for Ukraine, but for all the countries of the continent and the world at large, and the ability to stand up to the implementation of this goal will be tested by those who wish to benefit from any kind of division.
She pointed out that for the first time the State of the Union address mentioned the existence of war on European lands, referring to the day when Europe woke up at the end of last February to a state of panic with what it saw from the face of ruthless evil, the sounds of sirens and the brutality of war.
She explained that from that moment on, an entire continent decided to rise in solidarity with Ukraine, as refugees and those fleeing war found shelter at border points, streets were filled with Ukrainian flags and classrooms received Ukrainian students.
She added that 15 years ago, during the global economic crisis, European countries took years to find sustainable solutions, and 10 years later, the Corona pandemic came, and the countries at that time were able to confront the coronavirus within only weeks, but this year, as soon as the Russian forces entered the Ukrainian territory, the response was unified and immediate, which is What we should be proud of.
She added that the coming times are not easy as they need strength and unity, by referring to families who need support and businesses that face difficult choices to continue in their future.
"Today, courage has a name, which is Ukraine, and it has a face, which is the faces of the Ukrainian men and women who stood up to Russian aggression," the European Commission President said, noting that "the innocent victims of this war will remain in our memory."
Der Leyen added that it took tremendous courage to resist "the brutality of Russian President Vladimir Putin," noting that Ukraine has remained steadfast because everyone in the country is fighting in every street and home, in addition to that Ukrainian President "Vladimir Zelensky" has remained in the capital, "Kyiv." In order to lead the resistance.
And Der Leyen added that Europe's solidarity with Ukraine will remain steadfast, and since the first day, Europe has stood by Ukraine with weapons, finances and hosting refugees, in addition to imposing severe sanctions, noting that the Russian economic sector is suffering greatly after the sanctions caused damage to three-quarters of the Russian banking sector in international markets.
Der Leyen pointed out that car production in Russia decreased by 75 percent compared to last year, explaining that the Kremlin caused the Russian economy to be put on this path, adding that this was the price of the destruction and death caused by Russia and President Putin.
Der Line said that Europe provided financial support to Ukraine worth more than 19 billion euros in financial aid, and this is without military support, noting that rebuilding Ukraine will require huge resources, indicating that the Russian bombing destroyed more than 70 schools.
The President of the European Commission announced working alongside Ukraine to support the reconstruction of schools by providing 100 million euros in support, stressing that Ukraine's future starts with schools and with children.
She also indicated that not only financial support will be provided, but also all the necessary capabilities to make Ukraine able to meet all its needs, pointing to this by smart emerging companies and mobilizing all the support they need to create opportunities and accelerate growth.
She added that last March, Ukraine was connected to the electricity network, which was scheduled to end in 2024, noting that the implementation took only two weeks, and today Ukraine exports electricity to the European Union, expressing its hope to work on expanding the volume of this trade exchange.
She announced her intention to visit Kyiv and meet with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to discuss economic conditions and support the single market for the future of Ukraine.
She stressed the need to get rid of dependence on Russia in the field of energy in all of Europe, similar to the friends of the Baltic countries who have invested heavily in renewable energy and power plants.
She stressed the importance of diversifying energy sources away from Russia and moving to reliable suppliers such as the United States of America, Norway, Algeria and other countries, and that the volume of Russian gas imported in Europe last year amounted to 40 and has decreased today to only 9 percent, adding that Russia is working to manipulate the market Energy, where it prefers to flaring the gas rather than sending it to Europe according to the contracts concluded.
On climate change, the President of the European Commission said that it severely affected energy bills, as heat waves caused an increase in demand for electricity, while droughts caused the closure of nuclear and hydro power plants, and as a result, the severity of the crisis increased to more than 10 times before the epidemic period.
She explained that the Europeans are facing great challenges because of a war they did not choose, but they are coexisting with the new situation, expressing her hope that the Union will take the example from the peoples of its countries, and work to reduce energy demand during peak hours, which will make supplies last for a longer time and consequently prices will decrease.
She stressed that millions of Europeans are in need of support, and for this there is a proposal to set a ceiling for the revenues of companies that produce electricity at a low price, as these companies are currently receiving returns that they did not dream of before.

In the markets of the economy, making profits is a good thing, but in these times it is wrong to obtain extraordinary profits and gains that are profit from the war and fall on the shoulders of consumers, in these times profits must be shared and directed to the most needy

Source: Middle East News Agency