By HANNA ARHIROVA and BARRY HATTON
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The European Union’s top official signed an agreement to move forward on joint weapons production with Ukraine on Wednesday, saying Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s 4-year-old invasion is a key part of the continent’s defense.
Over the course of the war, Ukraine has gone from pleading for foreign military support to providing its cutting-edge and battle-tested weapons know-how to Europe, the United States and Middle East countries. But it still needs help expanding its domestic production, especially sophisticated air defenses that can stop Russia’s ballistic missiles.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, attending ceremonies marking Ukraine’s Statehood Day, said she and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would launch a new EU-Ukraine Defense Industrial Partnership.
The move reflects European worries about Russia’s broader intentions on the continent.
“Today, Ukraine’s fight is not only a fight for your own freedom. It is an existential fight for Europe’s freedoms — for its values, its self-determination,” Von der Leyen said in a speech in Kyiv’s St. Michaels’ Square, where she received Ukraine’s Order of Europe, a state honor.
“You are not only fighting for your own future but for the security of our entire continent,” she told a crowd.
The EU and Ukraine signed a letter of intent that aims to establish joint drone and anti-drone production by the end of this year and joint anti-ballistic missile production by 2028, as well as broader support for defense manufacturing.
Ukraine wants to bolster its security by joining the EU. It has started that process, which could take years to complete.
Ukraine celebrates its sovereignty amid Russia war
Von der Leyen and other dignitaries, including the presidents of Moldova and Romania, marked Ukraine’s Statehood Day, which celebrates the country’s sovereignty and is a public holiday.
Ukraine has been under threat since Russian forces illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, followed eight years later by the all-out invasion in 2022. Statehood Day, celebrating the country’s self-determination, is a public holiday in Ukraine.
The war has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians, forced millions to flee their homes, reduced some Ukrainian cities to rubble, and has fueled fears the confrontation could slide into an open conflict between Russia and NATO, whose member nations have supported Kyiv. No peace settlement is in sight.
Senior officials from southeastern European countries also were in Kyiv for a gathering focused on Black Sea and regional security. Last year’s meeting in the southern city of Odesa reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Zelenskyy has recently won important pledges of further support, including from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations and the so-called Coalition of the Willing countries.
EU official says the ‘tide is turning’ in the war
Von der Leyen said her trip to the Ukrainian capital was her 11th in wartime. The EU has provided billions of euros to Ukraine as well as diplomatic support.
She promised EU help in preparing Ukraine’s air defenses for the colder months. That’s when Russia, often launching ballistic missiles, usually tries to knock out essential services like electricity and heat in what Kyiv officials call “weaponizing winter.”
Western officials and analysts say Ukraine’s drone and missile attacks are hitting high-profile targets deep inside Russia, severely disrupting Moscow’s supply lines and causing civilian fuel shortages.
“It’s a special moment,” Von der Leyen said on social media. “Ukraine has built a strong military momentum. The tide is turning.”
Washington appeared poised to increase economic pressure on Moscow as a proposed Russia sanctions bill was unveiled in the U.S. Senate following Saturday’s death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of its chief backers.
The bill, which its authors had hoped to pass last summer but was held up by White House reservations, would impose steep tariffs on goods from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports.
Wednesday’s official ceremonies came at a delicate political moment for Zelenskyy as he manages a major government reshuffle.
Meanwhile, Serbia’s Moscow-friendly president, Aleksandar Vucic, was taking part in the Southeast Europe Summit in Kyiv. Serbia, which relies almost fully on Russia for its energy supplies, has refused to join Western sanctions on Moscow, although it officially supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Russian attacks kill 9 Ukrainian civilians
Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that at least nine civilians were killed and 13 others were injured in Russian aerial attacks.
Russian forces dropped six glide bombs mostly targeting infrastructure in the Sumy region of northern Ukraine, killing three people and wounding seven, said Oleh Hryhorov, head of the regional military administration.
Three people were killed and three others wounded in a Russian attack on Odesa, according to Serhii Lysak, the head of the city’s military administration.
In the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine, Russian drones killed two people and seriously wounded an 18-year-old, while one person was killed and two injured in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, officials said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight intercepted 93 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions, as well as over Crimea and the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Associated Press reporter Justin Spike in Budapest contributed.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine