European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen begins a four-day trip to seven EU countries to bolster support for Ukraine and push defence spending as Russia attacks Kyiv.

On Friday, von der Leyen starts a Friday-to-Monday tour to reassure governments facing Russian aggression and drive defence investment. The schedule covers Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland — which border Russia or Belarus — plus Bulgaria and Romania, in her largest security-focused effort since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

She opens in Latvia with Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, then travels to Helsinki to meet Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and President Alexander Stubb. Saturday brings talks in Estonia with Prime Minister Kristen Michal. On Sunday she meets Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov, before Monday visits to Romania’s President Nicușor Dan and Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda.

The trip coincides with efforts by United States President Donald Trump to end the three-year-old war, including a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Overnight, Russian drones and ballistic missiles struck Kyiv, killing at least 10 civilians, and one strike hit an EU delegation building.

Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà said the attack was unacceptable, EU backing for Ukraine would not be shaken, no diplomatic staff were hurt and they would remain in Ukraine. NATO’s European members have pledged to raise defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035; it remains unclear how they will meet this, despite looser EU rules, and total funds fall short of Trump’s demands.

(Source: Politico)