The Russian attack on Ukraine will be discussed intensively at this year’s G7 meeting. However, EU Commission President von der Leyen is optimistic. “I am firmly convinced that President Putin can no longer win this war,” she declared on the first evening of the summit.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen assumes that Russia will be defeated in the war against Ukraine. She was “firmly convinced that President Putin can no longer win this war,” she emphasized in the ARD “Tagesthemen” on the sidelines of the G7 summit. This is shown by how “bravely” Ukraine is defending itself and how many democracies would rise up against the aggressor, she emphasized. Ultimately, Ukraine should decide for itself at what point it is ready to negotiate, but Putin must suffer a “strategic defeat.”
Until then, Ukraine will continue to be at its side, von der Leyen said: “The autocrats of this world are watching very closely what is happening and it is all the more important that we, as democracies, support brave Ukraine.” The European Union wants to make nine billion euros available, and they will “join together” worldwide to finance a reconstruction program for Ukraine. The punitive measures against Moscow should also play an important role: “The sanctions are now biting in Russia,” explained the politician. It is now important to maintain this and to take action against loopholes and attempts to circumvent it.
In addition, von der Leyen pleaded for Germany’s participation in the G20 summit in the fall – even if Vladimir Putin should also appear at the meeting in Indonesia. It is important to “tell the Russian President to his face what we think of him,” and “then he should take a stand,” she explained on ZDF’s “heute journal.” “In my opinion, the G20 is too important – also for the developing countries, the emerging countries – for us to let this body be destroyed.”
