The European Union responds to Russia’s “aggressive behaviour” towards Ukraine with “a new financial assistance package for the country, made up of emergency loans as well as subsidies”. It has been announced live earlier today by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, a few days after talking to Ukrainian president Zelensky. Since 2014, the EU has allocated over 17 billion euros to the Eastern European country but today the European Commission is offering “a new emergency micro-financial assistance package of 1.2 billion euros” to “meet the funding requirements due to the conflict”. However, the EU Council and the EU Parliament will first have to approve such package before it can be delivered. Another, similar but longer-term programme will support “the country’s modernisation efforts”. In addition, the EU Commission will eventually double up its bilateral support to Ukraine in the form of subsidies, another 120 billion euros, to support the country’s building efforts and Ukraine’s resilience. Lastly, investments “in the future of the country” will not stop and will be backed by a Plan that aims at using over 6 billion euros. “I want to be clear about this, again”, von der Leyen concluded: “Ukraine is a free and sovereign country. It makes its own choices. The EU will keep supporting it”.