FDC 3 Years RUSSIAN INVASION of UKRAINE - Heads of State Summit, Kyiv 24 Feb. 2025 - COLOMINA Block (PE816)

During a visit to Kyiv, European and Canadian leaders announce €3.5 billion in new aid to Ukraine

Three years to the day after Russia's invasion of the country, European leaders met in Kyiv on Monday, February 24, 2025. EU leaders and leaders of several member states traveled to demonstrate their support for Ukraine, as a sixteenth package of sanctions against Russia was officially adopted.

During this meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced €3.5 billion in new aid for Ukraine. This amount should be disbursed "as early as March," she specified. This is an advance on the €50 billion planned under the Facility for Ukraine. Europeans have already provided €134.4 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine since 2022. Member states will meet at a special European Council meeting on March 6, dedicated to defense. "I will present a comprehensive plan for our European arms production and defense capabilities."

"This year should be the year that real and lasting peace begins," Volodymyr Zelensky declared to some twenty foreign leaders who attended the meeting. French President Emmanuel Macron was at the White House on Monday, where he was to present to Donald Trump the proposals from Paris and London to guarantee a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Peace negotiations unilaterally initiated by the American president continue. Donald Trump is still demanding an agreement granting him access to Ukrainian mineral resources in return for the aid provided to Kyiv since the beginning of the war. This plan has not yet been implemented.

 (Source: touteleurope.eu)

A philatelic cover, designed by Historiaphil© (European Parliament Philatelic Kiosk, Strasbourg, France) commemorates the highlights of the Kyiv International Summit and the Strasbourg plenary session of the European Parliament. It was created as part of the collection of philatelic covers that have been documenting the history of Europe and its institutions since 1949. Its edition is limited to 50 numbered copies.