Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen handed over 50 EU-provided cars to the National Police of Ukraine (NPU) and the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) of Ukraine. The cars will be used to support the investigation and prosecution of war crimes. The delivery is part of a wider EU support program to the Ukrainian authorities to respond to needs related to public services in high-risk environments.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted that “the European Union continues to stand by Ukraine. Today, I have the honor to hand over these cars to the National Police of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General’s Office. They will help the authorities stabilize the territories that the Ukrainian armed forces have bravely liberated from illegal Russian occupation. This delivery comes shortly after the EU provided a modern demining machine to Ukraine. With this equipment we are supporting Ukraine to make the reclaimed territories safe again.”

The cars provided through the Commission’s Foreign Policy Media Service (FPI) are part of a wider package of support for needs in high-risk environments.

The European Commission through the FPI delivers the 50 vehicles to the Ukrainian authorities of which 30 are intended for the NPU and 20 for the OPG. This procurement is carried out within the framework of the project “Integrated Response Mechanism for Ukraine”, co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Overall support under this project includes demining equipment for Ukrainian state emergency services and generators of all sizes to address power shortages caused by Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure. The budget of the support package totals approximately 19.9 million euros, of which the European Commission contributes 18 million euros and Germany 1.9 million euros.

At the same time, German Foreign Minister Analena Burbock is in Odessa in southern Ukraine on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.

“It’s an emotional moment, we’re entering a war-torn country,” Analena Burbok said before entering Ukraine from Moldova accompanied by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the signing of bilateral security agreements with Canada and Italy, while Kiev seeks to consolidate its Western alliances having concluded similar security agreements with a number of countries, including Germany and France .