European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joe Biden issued a joint statement after their meeting in Brussels on 24 March expressing their condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine and their solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
“Today, we are continuing coordinated transatlantic efforts to support the Ukrainian people, impose severe costs on Russia for its unjustifiable actions, and strengthen the resilience of our democracies, economies, and societies,” the statement said.
They confirmed they would coordinate responses against sanctions evasion and continue to mobilise and coordinate significant humanitarian relief to support people within Ukraine. This includes more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance the United States is prepared to provide and €550 million from the EU.
The EU and the United States said new actions would be taken to strengthen democratic sustainability and protect human rights in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. They will also continue supporting the work of war crimes documentation experts who are gathering evidence on the ground in Ukraine.
Von der Leyen and Biden added that the EU and USA were taking further, concrete steps in energy cooperation to ensure the security of supply and to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
In order to prevent a potential food crisis triggered by price hikes and disruptions to food supply sparked by Putin’s war in Ukraine, the EU and USA intend to redouble their combined efforts to increase global food security and provide direct food aid, where warranted, worldwide.
Both sides will also advance their cooperation on cybersecurity through a variety of actions – from supporting the Government of Ukraine on cyber resilience and cyber defence to aiming to combat the abuse of virtual currency.