00:00Great to have you with us here on Europe Today. Good morning.
00:02Good morning.
00:03So first, we heard there from Sasha Vakilini about those talks between Marco Dutta and the
00:07Commission President, but did you get filled in as well by Commission President on those
00:12talks last night with President Zelensky? How did they go?
00:15Well, first of all, it's clear from the European Union side, we stay committed to provide all
00:22necessary support to Ukraine and eventually to ensure just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
00:29So that remains our goal. And we continue, I would say, strong engagement with different
00:37partners to arrive at this goal.
00:39But your goal is not being heard by President Trump. He's not taking into account how Brussels
00:43feels.
00:44Well, obviously, what is important if we want also European Union, so to say, to be at the
00:51table, to be fully taken into account, is also to project a strength to be able to change
00:57facts on the ground. That's why it's important we reach agreement on Ukraine financing. That's
01:03why it's important we continue to provide a necessary military support to Ukraine. But this
01:07because this is a way how we actually stay relevant and can change facts on the ground and
01:14correspondingly also can influence any negotiations.
01:20And how can you make sure Ukraine doesn't have to swallow a bad deal?
01:24Well, the stronger Ukraine will be, the more leverage it will have to ensure the acceptable
01:37terms of peace. In any case, what we want to achieve is not a capitulation of Ukraine. It's a just and
01:45lasting peace for Ukraine. Also, the peace which just does not serve as a pause for Russia to
01:53regroup, to recover and to continue its aggression against Ukraine or to expand its war against
02:00other countries, because Russia is openly talking about invading other countries, including EU and
02:05NATO countries.
02:06And you mentioned, of course, the frozen Russian assets. Where do things stand there? The clock is
02:11ticking. Well, last week, the European Commission came forward with proposals on how we can provide
02:18financing for Ukraine for the next two years, either through joint borrowing at the EU level or
02:27through so-called reparation loan, where we use cash balances linked with immobilized Russian assets
02:33and provide a reparation loan to Ukraine, which Ukraine only would need to repay once Russia pays
02:40reparations for the damages it has created. So European Commission proposals are on table and leaders are
02:47expected to discuss them next week.
02:51But some leaders don't like them. I mean, there was the dinner last Friday between President von der
02:55Leyen and Friedrich Merz even hopped on a plane from Germany to come here to try and convince the
02:58Belgians, but it didn't work.
03:00Well, indeed, Belgians have legitimate concerns because bulk of this money is indeed in Belgium.
03:09And therefore, in our proposal, we also came with a strong safeguards. Other EU member states will
03:14have to provide guarantees. Also, Russia's claims cannot be enforced in the European Union. And we also came with
03:24additional safeguards, how to prevent enforcement of those claims in a third country, so how they can be
03:32offset against Russia's assets in the EU.
03:36And you had a call with the G7 last night. Do the US and Japan actually support this reparations loan?
03:41Well, indeed, I presented the reparations loan concept to G7 partners yesterday, our proposal. And it was also
03:50agreed yesterday on a principle that Russia's assets should stay immobilized until Russia pays reparations. It's also reflected
03:58in yesterday's G7 meeting conclusions.
04:02But what happens if there's no deal? How will Ukraine survive without this money?
04:06Well, we have to reach the deal. And the good news is that all leaders conceptually agree that we have to find a
04:15solution. And next week is a crunch time when we have to do it.
04:20And of course, did you read the document, the national security document that Trump penned last Friday,
04:25calling Europe weak? What are your thoughts on that document?
04:28Well, certainly there are aspects on this national security strategy we disagree with. That's very clear. And it's
04:37clear that European Union is actually providing strength for members of the European Union, especially
04:45smaller countries, because in a current more conflictual power based world, it's certainly
04:54you can seek strength in unity. But there are aspects which are obviously, we can agree that we could
05:00project more assertiveness as European Union, including against Russia. And also, for example,
05:07this strategy recognizes that Europe remains strategically and culturally vital for the United States.
05:13Okay. Commissioner Dombrowski, thank you so much for coming into us today on Europe Today.
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