Hello Stefan,

I want to ask about President Trump's decision to temporarily suspend

aid for Ukraine.

That we just learned about um

how do you assess this decision because it's

going to have great implications for the country.

Do you think it's helpful for the negotiations and do you think the European Union

can make up for the absence of American assistance at this stage,

even if it becomes a permanent suspension?

Thank you very much for this question.

I don't think it's up to us to comment on

decisions or announcements that are made on the other side of

the Atlantic.

What I think remains extremely important is the unwavering support

of the European Union towards our friends in Ukraine.

to look at the

the important amounts of financial support that

we have provided to Ukraine and we continue

to provide to Ukraine

to see that we put our money where our mouth is.

We

have

supported Ukraine with 150 billion.

I'm sorry,

excuse me,

we are support,

we are offering quite some important support to

the European Union,

including

through

I meant 140 billion,

excuse me,

which includes 50 billion in military support and we have trained more.

73,000 Ukrainian troops,

this solidarity remains extremely important.

You have seen the important meetings that have taken place in London,

the many statements that have been made,

and if one thing is extremely clear,

it is this unity

that continues to be very strong to support our Ukrainian friends.

Thank you.

Yes,

but it's still not clear if you think you are ready as the European Union

to fulfill,

to fill this gap that the American could leave behind.

how much military support are you expecting to provide Ukraine this year and is the

High Representative still planning to move ahead with

her new special plan to ramp up.

support for Ukraine.

On the first issue,

what I would,

I would like to draw your attention to the letter that the President

of the European Commission has sent to the members of the European Commission

calling for more spending,

better spending and spending together in the area of defense,

and this is very important.

The president has laid down has presented.

Her ideas which will feed into the discussions that will

take place with the leaders on the 6th of March

and then we will see how things will be taken forward.

With regard to the HRVP um I call Anouar.

and thank you

for the question,

the High Representative has put forward a new defense initiative

to support Ukraine with more ammunition in the short term.

What I can say is that there was broad political support for the initiative

at the last Foreign Affairs Council and

that this issue remains under active discussion

ahead of the European Council.

Thank you.

Any other questions on this?

Yes.

Actually,

Valeria Paskov,

the public broadcaster of Ukraine,

so will the EU be able to replace all the US military assistance for Ukraine,

especially antiballistic air defense systems such

as Patriots and missiles to them,

intelligence data,

and starlings,

which are essential for Ukraine on the battlefield,

and one more probably

about the

Hungary,

which was blocked,

the military assistance package for Ukraine,

the political reported in the morning.

Maybe you have some alternatives to this package which is worth €20 billion.

maybe you have some decision how to

bypass the Hungarian veto thanks.

thank you very much.

Maybe I would like to draw your attention to again the letter that President

von der Leyen has sent to the uh different heads of state to.

Feed the debate that will take place on the 6th of March and

where a letter in which the president proposes the rearm Europe plan,

you will see that one of the first pillars is to establish new

financial EU instruments to support member

states in boosting their defense capabilities.

this,

system would provide member states with loans backed by the EU budget,

for an amount of up to €150

billion.

an instrument and funding that can be used for priority capabilities,

including air and missile defense,

artillery systems,

missiles and ammunition,

and so on.

So I think a very important message that is passed here by the president

is that we have to speed up,

reinforce,

have better and more

defense spending,

and we will help member states to do that.

On the question

on your second question,

I call Thomas.

Thanks,

Stefan,

and indeed to add to what Stefan said,

we also have EDF,

ASAP,

and EDI,

for example,

that EDP is still pending with the

co-legislators where we will also invest and innovate

in new technologies and capabilities also in the defense sector.

So we're already working on that also for the last

years now when it comes to Starlink and your question,

I mean.

We are working very hard on Iris Square now fully with you.

Iris Squared will be fully operational only by 2030.

So in the meantime we're setting up an

alternative solution which is the so-called Gov SATCOM,

which is basically a pooling and sharing of existing

satellite capabilities within member states already existing capabilities.

Ukraine has expressed its interest in the benefits of Gov Satcom,

and we're currently looking into this indeed.

Thank you very much Thomas.

Yes.

for the Italian newspaper,

I have to be quite

uh surprised that

having such a historical announcement

by President Trump.

You say that you have no comments.

By the way,

you have plenty of commentaries from the other side of Washington,

so it's not that you never comment on what Washington says.

So are you really not commenting on the fact that the main ally,

has been the main ally

of Europe and the main

supporter of Ukraine is now

going away?

You really have nothing to say,

not even that you regret it,

that you're worried that you hope.

That

the polls can be over,

so nothing at all.

Thank you.

I can restate or replain or say again what I

said before that we are stepping up our efforts and

stepping up these efforts is translated in many steps.

An important step

is,

for instance,

the announcement of the rearm Europe proposal

that the president made this morning.

And which uh will offer

substantial,

which will help member states to offer substantial support to Ukraine,

a country that needs our support very much

follow up.

Sorry,

but this is practical,

it is just an answer to what you are going to do,

but there is no political comment on the issue.

I can again say what we say.

We stand with Ukraine.

We know that it is important to support Ukraine also in its defense,

also to make sure that it's in a better negotiation place,

and we are putting our money where our mouth is

by making the very important proposal that the president has just done now,

and we'll see how things will evolve.

Angela Skujins  from TVP World.

When can journalists ask the European Commission President

Ursula von der Leyen questions about her REARM Europe plan?

She wasn't taking questions at the press conference today,

and this is a significant announcement.

So when,

when is that opportunity going to be presented to journalists?

Thank you very much.

I think you have seen the past that the president

has already taken questions and continues to take questions,

so there is nothing new

here.

we,

in the meantime,

if you have any questions,

do not hesitate to reach out to us,

but I believe that opportunities have been given and will continue to be given to

make sure that there's a good understanding

of all the important work that's ongoing.

Yes

Thank You

Raziye Akkoc from AFP news agency,

I really just want to jump onto that point.

We weren't given the opportunity to ask questions about an announcement,

and right now you've said that some of what the US decisions are political,

so you can see why some of us might be confused that you're saying

that you can't provide the answers and

then the politicians can't provide the answers,

and I think it's really not appropriate

and the way that we do our work,

it just doesn't work like that.

Thank you very much.

I think we're trying every day to help you handling or replying to your questions,

which are extremely important,

and we do our best to service you as much as possible.

One of the things that we are doing,

for instance,

to help you with this,

because indeed this is a very important step or proposal.

is to offer a technical briefing with one of the

hotshots of the European Commission that will help you all

with a better understanding

of what is behind the

behind the proposal,

how things are planned to be to work out,

etc.

So we continue to do that work as much as we can.

David

Thank you,

Stefan.

I'm going to

Try in French,

see if we get an answer.

I've got 3 questions.

One,

the first is very direct.

Does the European Commission feel that right now,

does the President of the Commission feel that right now the US

with the Trump administration and the decisions they're taking or have taken,

is it still an ally?

Second question.

This

is a follow up to questions which have been asked just now by my colleagues.

Secondly,

As I said,

this is a follow up.

Ukraine will no longer be receiving military aid

from the United States,

so this is a

straightforward question.

According to the planning,

which I hope I'm not sure,

but I hope you have

done this within the EEAS and the EDF and

Within the commission.

Or whatever.

Will the Europeans be

capable of

sending the missiles,

interceptors,

and so on,

which are necessary to protect Ukrainian citizens and cities now

and not

when the new instrument and the 150 billion

become available for member states to assist Ukraine.

And a third question which I asked yesterday,

in fact,

Mrs.

von der Leyen said.

Quite clearly that all of this is very urgent.

Why in that case did the president

Wait until March 2025 to make these proposals

rather than having presented them say in June of 2024

when according to the conclusions of the European Council of March 2024,

she should have done that.

Thank you.

OK,

quite a bit,

and I'll reply

in French,

although the reply will be similar.

First of all,

a word about the USA,

the United States are an ally,

as the president reasserted once again today.

Secondly,

your question as to the assistance we can provide Ukraine right now.

I would draw your attention once again to the letter which the president wrote

to the heads of state

where she stated quite clearly.

It's time to meet the moment.

It's important to mobilize significant

levels of resources to assist our Ukrainian friends.

And this is precisely

what

the rearm Europe proposal.

I intended to do and on the other questions,

perhaps

you could await the technical briefing.

Our experts may be able to give you more details then

your third question,

which I know you did ask yesterday.

I think Paula replied to that question yesterday.

Quite a number of things

happened,

of course,

between June of last year and the present day.

The new commission.

Geopolitical developments.

The difference.

The importance of defense.

was already stressed by the president some time ago,

but of course in the light of more recent

Developments.

The Commission now,

for example,

via the ReArm Europe proposal has

retabled a very,

very important proposal which will allow member states to

face up to all of these challenges and

to invest more in defense because this is something

which the European Union needs and which Ukraine of course needs as well,

so the work is ongoing.

You have a follow up,

David.

Yes,

I have a follow up on your response that you gave me yesterday on the new commission.

Now,

the commission is an institution.

It's not just

A political body,

quote unquote.

There's a

continuity of this institution.

So I don't understand or I would like for you

to tell me how it's possible that an institution.

In wartime,

Would stop working

on a topic that's so important

because we're waiting for the new cycle,

the incoming commission elections so on and so forth.

What's happening is a war on European territory.

It's happening now.

What are we waiting for?

Are we waiting for tanks to enter the European Union?

Now European leaders,

the council,

not I.

have already

Asked

the president to do something in March of 2024.

First,

I do care about your opinion,

David,

and secondly,

I said that the European Union has supported Ukraine

with €140 billion.52 billion of those were in military aid,

so

we really started working on this

uh immediately following the invasion.

We have been there from the start to support our Ukrainian friends

with financial support,

with military support.

This work

is ongoing and has been ongoing

since the beginning of the invasion,

since the beginning of this war of aggression,

and so the work has not been interrupted.

Of course,

in the meantime

we have seen developments,

we have had elections in the US,

for example.

We have new geopolitical challenges to deal with,

and it's important that the commission continue to do

this work,

which it has done from the beginning of the war,

that the commission continues to respond in an

appropriate manner to the challenges at hand,

for example,

the rearm proposal that the president made this morning.

Thank you.

Angela Mauro of Post Italy,

thanks for the opportunity.

I have 3 questions.

The Councilor

President Zelenskyy, Podolia just said

that we are discussing with European partners on how to substitute the American

military aids.

What do you reply

to this?

So I'm taking it from the other side.

As you mentioned it before,

I don't know,

maybe this is a question for the technical briefing,

but you mentioned before the 150 billion loans

the President was talking talks about in a letter to the Member States.

If you can just tell us what it,

what it is,

if it is a sure

2.0 or common debt or the use of the remaining from the recovery.

Facility,

and the third question is

about the White Paper on defense.

Will it be actually presented on 19 March,

as

we knew,

or it is postponed to the following week?

Thanks.

Thank you very much on your first question.

Well,

I reiterate what I have said before.

It's the fact that the president has stressed on many occasions

that the European Union needs to spend more,

needs to spend better,

and needs to spend together

on defense

to help

our friends in Ukraine.

And the last step and a very important step which has been taken

is the rearm proposal proposed by the president,

which will be discussed by the heads of state and which is

a very important sign again to show our solidarity with Ukraine.

your second question,

I would suggest that we discuss this question during,

the technical briefing

where much smarter people than myself will be able to,

to help you.

on the last question on the white paper,

you know that this has been announced in the list that as we see in beautiful English,

the provisional calendar,

it is there,

of course,

you always have to bear in mind that this is a provisional indicative calendar,

and that changes are always possible,

but for now indeed it has been planned to be adopted on the 19th of March.

Thank you.

And then go to that side of the room,

yes.

Two questions.

The first is for Tom,

I think.

Can you

tell us what the time horizon would be for

this to become operational and whether it will genuinely replace

Starlink.

More generally,

the presidents gave some hefty figures this morning,

600 billion

or $800 billion 600 billion of which would come from an increase

on the expenditure side of 1.5% of.

Of GDP of the member states,

I'm just wondering what the basis was for these figures which you gave us.

Have the member states agreed to do this?

Why 1.5%?

Why not 2.5%,

and why this

announcement of this large figure?

Thank you.

I'll take the second question and you take the first one.

Well,

on the second question,

I think the president was giving

an example in her declaration this morning when she said for example,

if the member states were to

Increase their defense.

Expenditure with 1.5% this could

open up possibilities.

For the funding of about 650 billion over a four year period.

So this is an example

the president was

giving to

display the importance of

the proposal

she made.

In rearm.

So this is as a possibility for member states.

It's obviously up to the member states to determine to what extent

this could be of assistance to them

in their needed defense.

Investments,

on the Gulf

this should allow us to use

existing satellite resources and capability in the case of France,

Germany,

Italy,

Luxembourg,

and so on,

and to ensure that the other member

states and other potential partners such as Ukraine

could benefit from these services.

So Gov Satcom will be deployed

this year.

We want to do this as rapidly and

efficiently as possible,

but

it's difficult to be more

specific in terms of timing than this year.

It would be very,

very

competitive compared to Starlink,

and that they were talking about Iris Squared in particular,

and

there has been a signing today and we're very advanced with Gov Satcom,

of course,

and that should allow us

to deal with phenomena such as Ukraine is faced with right now.

Thank you.

I see some other further questions,

Lorenzo,

and then I'll take a number of questions online.

Well,

the problem

is that Starlink has low orbits.

And therefore,

it has a type of performance that we can't uh achieve with Gov Satcom.

Is there any uh

plan

for uh Iris square?

Because if we don't have that,

we'll run into problems.

The Americans have Starlink.

Well,

currently we're faced with a reality where we're

doing what we can based on our capabilities.

That's the reality and our capacity is high,

which is a good thing.

It's a very good thing.

Now,

the question is how to use,

how to best use our resources to deal with the situation at hand.

So we have the capacity,

we will use it.

Now it's true that Iris Squared

has a

timeline we will be deploying its first services at the end of this year.

It will be fully operational by 2030.

Now it's possible that we will reach full operationalization before 2030,

but I would like to say that our capacity currently

is very high and we'll use it to the best.

Thank you very much.

I will take some more questions,

but I would like to give journalists the opportunity

to ask questions on other topics as well.

And in any case,

we will have a technical briefing which will start at 3 o'clock.

who has been raising his hand for half an hour almost.

Thanks.

Is this working?

It's working.

Yes,

not anymore.

Please switch on.

OK,

now,

now it should be,

just one comment on behalf of our API and colleagues is,

it was mentioned on Rearm Europe,

but it's also yesterday on the,

CO2 for cars,

the automotive

industry's a statement

on a really important issue

where there's no details later,

and it's frustrating for colleagues to,

to report on that.

I have a question myself.

on for Anouar; Anna-Kaisa,

I don't know if we're moving to other issues now,

David,

I will park your car for a second.

Let me give you the opportunity to one or

two more questions on what we're discussing now,

and then we go to uh.

Yes.

Mr Stefan Jerome Hughes here.

Just on the subject that we're discussing,

we've talked about the political consensus or agreement

in terms of the incumbent politicians,

but

I'm just wondering,

is the President confident

that there will be public support for such an eye-watering amount of money,

because we've already talked about a lot of figures

here already that have already been paid out,

but when you're looking at a fund approaching 800 billion.

It's massive,

and

in this context,

I recall the latest figures from Eurostat.

On the subject of

being at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

I think the figure is 95 million people in the EU,

that's 21% of the population.

So really we've already seen the rise of Eurosceptic

politicians who see it in the European Parliament.

I'm just wondering,

has there been any thought or is there any consideration or even any study

into it from the president's point of view that if this could backfire politically,

that if there's not the public support for such huge amounts of money.

That then

down the road it could damage the actual EU itself

when it comes to general elections and so on.

Is she concerned or is she confident that the support is there?

Thank you very much.

When you look at when you take a look at the recent meetings that

have taken place in the European Union with the different heads of state,

it is very clear that there is a very strong support.

From all member states,

from all heads of state that we need to do more,

that we need to do better,

and that we need to do more together in the area of defense.

So it is a very strong

consensus that we feel all across the European Union.

What the president is doing now is to meet the

moment as she has set the letter and bring forward

a proposal

that will help

the member states that will help the European Union.

To live up to this moment

and now it is up to the member states,

the discussion that will take place on the 6th of

March to see how things can be taken forward,

but the proposal of the president is a translation.

shows

a way for member states to indeed

help them with um actually implementing this very important

uh consensus there is to um have more and better defense

spending.

OK,

I will take one last question on this,

and then we go to

to other topics.

Yes

I see Portugal,

so there is no fresh money in the sense that there are no grants in this

defense package,

so I only see

loans,

and also

what President von der Leyen is asking is,

in general for the Member States or for the

different Member States to go into more debt,

and we are talking about 800 billion debt to.

Rear Europe.

So is this a new logic,

because this was not the logic back when

we had the pandemic

and more money was needed

for the recovery.

So is this the new logic?

Europe needs

to

go into debt in order to rearm itself.

You will find that the proposed rearm is

quite broad and wide and important proposal,

but I would suggest that we discuss this topic during the technical briefing,

so keep your question and we'll be happy to get back to you.

Just one last try for a political

question.

still on what

the United States decided yesterday,

Were you informed

about this decision

before it was announced,

and are you very simple questions like yes,

no,

are you worried about the fact that the United

States is not going to help Ukraine tomorrow?

what matters in,

the current situation is that we stand united and

firm and strong and in full solidarity with Ukraine,

and that is what we're doing.

That's exactly what we're doing,

for instance,

through this very important we are proposal.

All right,

listen,

I see that

John

Volicelli,

you had raised your hands

on this topic,

you'll be the last one,

and then we take other questions.

Sorry.

me

I hear you,

but I don't see you.

I don't know why.

video select camera

this 10 yes,

there you are,

hey.

Yeah

I have a question on this,

what's going on?

sorry,

a final question

about this satellite thing because I'm not

sure,

I caught Thomas' answer

entirely.

If I understand correctly,

Gov Satcom is about secure communications,

especially governmental communications.

Starlink

has been used for 2 years

to

Steer drones

on a battlefield

to attack military targets.

I want to know,

I mean,

I would like to know if possible,

if Gov Satcom's capabilities.

are apt

to sustain such a usage.

Can be used for

the kind of activities such as drone

piloting or

reconnaissance.

Starlink is being used

for right now.

And I'd also like to ask,

is that the same topic

whether

The use of Gov Satcom for military purposes.

would

need the green light of the governments that are part of this Gov Satcom scheme.

So can you just say

Yeah,

Ukraine is going to come for military

activities

without Italy,

Germany,

or France giving their consent.

Thanks.

Very precise questions indeed.

On the second one,

I will have to get back to you.

Indeed,

as you say yourself,

there is a strong member state component here as this

is a pooling and sharing of existing member states' competences.

So there I will get back to you.

On the first one,

hard for me to compare Starlink and

Govs Satcom and what one offers,

and the second one,

indeed Gov Satcom is mainly about secure connectivity.

There again,

I'll get back to you if I have more to share.

Thank you,

and I will now open the floor to other questions on other topics.

if you still have topic questions on this,

don't hesitate to reach out to us or follow the technical briefing,

which I warmly recommend.

Raise your hands if you have other topics,

and I believe that it,

you had a question for Anouar, Anna-Kaisa.