European Commission president announces 3.5-bln-euro tranche to Ukraine in Kiev

BRUSSELS. Feb 24 (Interfax) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has assured Ukraine of further assistance and announced another 3.5-billion-euro tranche to Kiev.

"I can announce that a new 3.5 billion euros payment for Ukraine will arrive already in March," von der Leyen said in Kiev visited by a European Commission delegation on Monday.

She also reminded the audience about an urgent EU summit convened by European Council President Antonio Costa on March 6 to discuss Ukraine and European security. "I will present a comprehensive plan on how to scale up our European arms production and defense capabilities. And Ukraine will also benefit," von der Leyen said.

"It is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It is Europe's destiny," von der Leyen said. "A free and sovereign Ukraine is not only in the European interest but also in the interest of the entire world. [...] This is not only paramount for Europe. It is also important for Asia, for Africa, and both sides of the Atlantic," she said.

"Our first priority remains to empower Ukraine's resistance. So far, our union and member states have supported Ukraine to the tune of 134 billion euros. That is more than anybody else. [...] We must speed up the immediate delivery of weapons and ammunition. And this will be at the heart of our work in the coming weeks," von der Leyen said.

Investment in Ukraine's sovereignty is investment in security, she said.

"When we talk about security, we are not just talking about the military dimension. [...] We have prepared an ambitious package on energy security. The aim is to ensure a resilient, secure and competitive energy system for Ukraine. We will fully integrate Ukraine's and Moldova's electricity market with our electricity market by the end next year," von der Leyen said.