‘If freedom has a name, its name is Ukraine’: EU Commission chief

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that “if freedom has a name, its name is Ukraine,” hailing the bravery of Ukrainian people resisting Russia's war on the country.

Speaking to the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels, von der Leyen also said "the Ukrainian flag is the flag of freedom.”

She has repeatedly urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war on Ukraine.

Von der Leyen also called on Putin not to block the ships in Russian ports at the Black Sea that are meant to transport wheat to other countries.

She explained that Ukrainian farmers are not able to sow seeds because of the Russian attacks that not only endangers Ukraine's food provision but also the UN’s World Food Program as the program receives over half of its wheat supply from Ukraine.

“The consequences will be felt from Lebanon, Egypt, and Tunisia to Africa and the Far East. I call on Putin to let those ships go. Otherwise, he will not only be responsible for deaths but also for famine and hunger,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, Von der Leyen welcomed the EU decision on doubling the bloc’s military aid to Ukraine that hit a total of €1 billion ($1.1 billion) following the political agreement reached by EU foreign ministers on Monday.

She pointed out that since the beginning of the conflict, some 3.5 million refugees fled to the EU, and that half of them are children.

“Every second, a child from Ukraine arrives in our Union,” she asserted, applauding the efforts of EU member states and Moldova in hosting refugees.

The EU has allocated €500 million ($551 million) in humanitarian aid to Ukrainians and adopted four packages of sanctions since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24.

The measures target 785 individuals and 14 entities in total in Russia, including Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, oligarchs, and military officers.

The sanctions have also banned the export of luxury goods to Russia, excluded Russian and Belarusian banks from the SWIFT international banking system, and prohibited the broadcasting of Sputnik and RT media outlets.

At least 977 civilians have been killed so far in Ukraine, and 1,594 injured, according to UN estimates. It has warned, however, that the exact toll is likely much higher as it has not been able to gain access to areas of increased hostilities.

Over 3.6 million Ukrainians have also fled to the neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.