EU defence, aid for Ukraine, US pivot – key takeaways from European Commission president's speech
On 17 December, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a speech in the European Parliament in response to the updated US security strategy.
The speech underscores Europe’s readiness to independently guarantee its own security and to continue supporting Ukraine.
She delivered the address ahead of a crucial European Council meeting on Ukraine (18–19 December).
The full Ukrainian text of von der Leyen’s speech is available in the article "This is Europe’s independence moment." Ursula von der Leyen’s response to the new US strategy.
This week’s European Council is about facing the reality of the moment. The reality of a world that has become dangerous and transactional. A world of wars. A world of predators.
The reality of this world means we, Europeans, must defend ourselves and we must depend on ourselves.
Yesterday’s peace is gone. We have no time to indulge in nostalgia. What matters is – how we confront today.
This is the story of the shift in the world economy.
If you take China alone, their share of global GDP went up from 4% in 1990 to 20 % today. This is why the United States has been clear for some time about its shifting strategic interests and priorities as China rises.
This Strategy is not the cause of the disruption that Europe is facing in the world. It is a symptom of the reality of today’s world.
So our task at this week’s Summit is to show that we are focused on our own strategy own interests and our priorities.
I want to repeat what I said in this very spot during my State of the Union address – this is Europe’s independence moment.
Just look at what we have already done. From defence to energy, we have made the impossible possible as part of our new reality. And we are ready to do more. Because in our independence, we make ourselves stronger.
A stronger Europe is a stronger partner, not just to promote, but to guarantee a safer world.
We are entering a new era, that ends Europe’s energy independence from Russia.
Europe’s era of independence must be unstoppable.
We have to go further, and we must move swiftly. And that is particularly important when it comes to defence and security.
The bottom line is simple – Europe must be responsible for its own security. This is no longer an option, this is a must. We know the threats that we face, and we will confront them. This means we need to be ready.
We have to develop and deploy new capabilities so that we can fight a modern hybrid war. Here again, we are moving mountains. After decades of under-investment, we are turning a corner.
We are transforming our defence industrial base into one that can deliver cutting-edge technologies and fast mass production in the cauldron of war.
And there is no more important act of European defence than supporting Ukraine’s defence. The next days will be a crucial step for securing this. It is up to us to choose how we fund Ukraine’s fight.
But one thing is very clear: we have to take the decision to fund Ukraine in the next two years in this European Council.
We also have to agree this week (...) about the need for European independence and how we achieve it.
And this European Council and the decision on Ukraine is a central part of this.