Key facts
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv, declaring 'the tide is turning' for Ukraine.
- A new EU-Ukraine defence industrial partnership was signed to build unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
- The partnership aims to combine EU industrial capacity with Ukraine's drone expertise.
- Ukraine has made tangible progress in its EU accession negotiations.
- Despite progress, Russia continues to exploit Ukraine's shortage of Patriot interceptors, striking cities.
- Von der Leyen was briefly moved to a shelter due to an air raid alert during her visit.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv, declaring that 'the tide is turning' for Ukraine, less than five months after her previous trip. The visit highlighted a shift in momentum, with Ukraine launching long-range drone strikes against Russian oil refineries and making tangible progress in its EU accession path.
During her one-day trip, von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a landmark EU-Ukraine defence industrial partnership focused on building unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This deal aims to merge the EU's industrial scale with Ukraine's expertise, enabling joint ventures and the storage of drones on EU soil. Funding for the initiative will come from the military strand of a €90 billion support loan and approximately €10 billion from the SAFE defence programme, with potential future expansion to missile technology.
Von der Leyen acknowledged that despite the positive developments, Ukraine still faces severe challenges, including Russia's exploitation of a shortage in US-made Patriot interceptors, leading to relentless strikes on cities. She experienced this vulnerability firsthand when an air raid alert prompted a brief move to an underground shelter.
Simultaneously, Ukraine's EU accession process has seen significant progress. Following Hungary's previous veto, Ukraine has opened new negotiation clusters, with the path now clearer for unblocking remaining clusters after the summer break. President Zelenskyy has reportedly shifted his focus from an earlier demand for full membership by 2027 to a more pragmatic, step-by-step approach, which von der Leyen's team welcomed.
However, the visit coincided with growing murmurs of turmoil regarding Zelenskyy's government reshuffling, including the subsequent dismissal of the popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was credited with advancements in drone warfare.