Von der Leyen tours NATO frontline countries
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched a four-day tour across seven EU states bordering Russia and Belarus on 29 August.
Von der Leyen's visit to frontline NATO states - namely Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, as well as Bulgaria and Romania - aims to deliver a message of solidarity while boosting Europe’s defence capacity, promoting joint procurement and galvanising industrial support through the EU’s SAFE (Support to Ammunition and Firearms Enhancement) mechanism.
The former German defence minister's visits underscore the EU’s ambition to emerge as a credible defence actor, complementing NATO while countering Russia’s hybrid threats. The tour also dovetails with von der Leyen’s Readiness 2030 defence initiative, proposing up to EUR 800bn for European military resilience and strategic autonomy.
Von der Leyen warns of 'predator' Putin
Von der Leyen delivered a speech alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the Polish‑Belarusian border village of Ozierany Male, north-east Poland, as she scorned Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We have to keep the sense of urgency because we know that Putin has not and will not change. He is a predator,” she said.
“In the last 25 years he started four wars: Chechnya, Georgia, Crimea and the full-blown invasion in Ukraine. We know by experience he can only be kept in check through strong deterrence.
"Therefore, we have to be coordinated, precise and fast with the surge of our defence posture in the EU and specifically in frontline states,” von der Leyen said. She also praised Poland, saying “Our frontier needs strong deterrence…thank you for protecting Europe from cynical hybrid attacks.”
Bulgarian defence industry scales up
At the Bulgarian state-owned VMZ arms factory in Sopot, central Bulgaria, von der Leyen recalled that “one-third of the weapons used by Ukraine at the beginning of the conflict were supplied by Bulgaria”.
She welcomed plans to scale up production, projecting 1,000 new jobs and expecting EU shell output to hit 2mn by the end of the year, fakti.bg wrote, quoting Russian state news agency TASS. Scaling up shell production is part of the EU SAFE mechanism.
Von der Leyen underlined that the EU is formulating a potential roadmap for deploying European troops in a post-war Ukraine. Von der Leyen said US President Donald Trump had assured her there would be a US presence.
EU loans for Estonian defence
In Estonia, von der Leyen announced a major EU defence loan of up to EUR 3.6bn, emphasising a need for enhanced sanctions and investment across the bloc’s borders with Russia.
Speaking at a joint news conference on Saturday with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, von der Leyen said sanctions against Russia should be tightened, while Europe bolsters its defence spending.
"Our aim is that by 2030, we have significantly filled all gaps that we have identified today," she said at the Amari Air Base, north-west Estonia, where NATO aircraft are deployed. "Estonia is making the Eastern flank safer. And Europe, stronger," von der Leyen added.
Romania focuses on Black Sea security
On Monday, von der Leyen will meet with Romanian President Nicusor Dan and Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, in Constanta, south-east Romania. Key items on the agenda will include EU-NATO collaborations to defend against hybrid and maritime threats, especially on the Black Sea, on the agenda. The Black Sea corridor has become a focal point for grain exports, energy transit and Russian naval pressure.
Von der Leyen told UK business daily The Financial Times that the EU is drafting “pretty precise plans” for troop deployment to Ukraine in a prospective peacekeeping scenario, Sky News reported.
