Von der Leyen: "We will end our dependence on Russian energy"

European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, who made a statement at the press conference after the meeting, said that the EU should get rid of its dependence on Russian gas.

"Russia is attacking people's freedom"

In a statement, European Commission President Von der Leyen said, "We are talking about the future of Ukraine, the future of the EU and our democracy here. Our destiny is tied to Ukraine, a member of the European family. Putin's aggression against Ukraine goes against all our principles. Putin is attacking democracy, the sovereignty of states and the freedom of the people. The response we take today to this heinous attack by Russia on Ukraine will determine not only the future of Ukraine, but also the future of the entire European continent, going beyond our unity."

Von der Leyen said that the European Commission plans to reinvigorate EU energy and added, "First, it is our duty to continue to provide reliable, secure, and affordable energy supply to European consumers in the medium term. This means that we will get rid of our dependence on Russian gas by diversifying the supply and investing heavily in renewable resources. Until the end of March, we will present options to limit the spillover effect of the increase in gas prices on electricity prices. Also, the European Union needs to set a longer-term EU gas storage policy, so the commission will submit a proposal by the first of October each year to fill the underground gas storage by at least 90 percent. This will be our insurance policy against supply disruption."

"By 2027, we will end our dependence on Russian energy"

European Commission President Von der Leyen, announcing the European Union's plans to eliminate its dependence on Russian energy by 2027, said: "We will present the proposal of gradually ending our dependence on Russian gas, oil, and coal by 2027, with the support of the necessary national and European resources by mid-May.

"We need different powers to defend Europe"

European Commission President Von der Leyen stated that Putin's war fundamentally changed the security environment in Europe and said, "We will need different forces and different capabilities to defend Europe. I welcome the significant additional defense investments that will be needed in Europe, and I welcome the ambitious action of some leaders to increase defense spending,"

"I want to be clear that we need to be in close coordination with NATO as well," Von der Leyen said in a statement. NATO is the strongest military alliance in the world. Therefore, I welcome leaders to tell us to prepare an analysis of defense investment gaps and make sure we have a clear plan for how we will tackle these gaps."

"We will help Ukraine survive"

In his speech after the European Council meeting in Versailles, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed the EU's support for Ukraine. He said, "We support Ukraine today and will do so as long as the war continues. We will be there to rebuild this destruction brought by Russia. We will be there to help Ukraine survive."

In his speech, Macron also said, "The main goal of the European Union (EU) is a rapid turn towards peace, which begins with a ceasefire and then with the rapid withdrawal of Russian troops." Saying that the EU will offer a European facility of approximately 500 million euros as additional aid to Ukraine, Macron said, "The message we send to the Ukrainian people is that Europe is open to them. Their struggle for the values ​​we all share, such as freedom and democracy, has shown that Ukraine really is a member of our European family."

"Eu showed how strong and together it is"

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said: "Since Russia started the war two weeks ago, the EU has shown how strong, how strong and how together it is. Today, in this meeting, we are discussing the EU applications of Georgia and Moldova, as well as Ukraine's application. We want to bring clarity to our Ukrainian friends who are members of the European family. We want to say that we will act very quickly and be ready to strengthen their connections."

Michel also said in his speech, "This Europe's struggle for energy independence is nothing new today. We will cut our dependence on Russia. We are after this passion. "We need a specific plan for the coming winter and it will be implemented on a specific timeline."