By Martin Banks

European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber has given his group’s “full backing” to Ukraine.

The veteran MEP was in Kyiv last week to meet with Ukraine’s President Zelensky and other senior members of his Government, civil society, the business community and the Orthodox Church.

Weber, a German MEP, said, “It is good to be back in Ukraine to express our full support in the fight against the Russian war machine.

“Nobody believed Ukraine would have the power and courage to fight back so strongly. No matter how long it takes, Russia must be defeated in Ukraine,” says Weber.

Amid growing concerns about the reliability of American arms supplies, the EPP Group is pushing for Europe to step up its support.

“Europe must urgently prepare for a second Trump Presidency, which would have immediate consequences for our security and the Ukrainian army’s chances of defeating the Russian army. Everything from weapon deliveries to ammunition production in Europe should finally be put on a wartime footing,” Weber adds.

In addition to military investment, the EU should also invest in the economy of Western Ukraine. “The Ukrainian budget should be stabilised by the EU with the agreement on the €50 billion support package. At the same time, we must work to direct investment into the economy. We want European business investments that create jobs to support the Ukrainian economy,” Weber concludes.

Meanwhile, European parliament’s political groups will this week prepare for the 5 – 8 February plenary session, where MEPs will assess the results of the 1 February Special EU summit.

The focus, according to a parliament spokesman, will be on the review of the EU’s long-term budget and on aid for Ukraine.

They will also debate Russia’s war against Ukraine two years after the invasion and Europe’s continuous support for the country, debate and vote on their position for talks with Council on a new law on plants obtained by new genomic techniques, and debate and take a final vote on instant payments in euro.

MEPs will also vote on resolutions on the situation in Serbia following the elections, on the rule of law and media freedom in Greece and will debate the future of Europe with Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis as part of the “This is Europe” debate series.