EC president calls on US Congress to finally approve aid package for Ukraine

She said this in an interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), Ukrinform reports.

Von der Leyen recalled that EU members were always able to agree on new support measures for Ukraine, even if it was difficult at times. "If we add everything up, we now have almost a three-digit billion sum in civil and military aid," she said.

"I now appeal very clearly to the U.S. House of Representatives to also get together and finally allow the aid package for Ukraine, which has been stalled for months, to pass. Ukraine deserves support from all free countries in the world," von der Leyen said.

She expects the package to be eventually approved because most lawmakers realize that continuing to block it would harm not only Ukraine, but also NATO as a whole. It is also important to send the right signal to the world's autocracies to prevent wars of aggression elsewhere, she added.

The MEP considers the anti-European activities of the left and right extremist political friends of Putin in the EU to be a real threat to Europe, which they are waging in parallel with the war of aggression in Ukraine.

"Europe is now experiencing a double attack: one from outside and one from within. [...] Let's not deceive ourselves: Putin's friends want to destroy the European Union from within, through the process of disintegration. [...] Putin wants to influence all future decisions in the West this year in his favor: elections to the European Parliament in June, elections to East Germany at the end of the summer and U.S. elections in November," von der Leyen said.

As reported, U.S. Republicans have been blocking the adoption of an aid package for Ukraine since last autumn. This has already led to an acute shortage of ammunition in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.