The European Commission will grant Ukraine a new package of financial assistance worth EUR 1.2 billion, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.

"The EU stands by Ukraine. We are firm in our resolve. I am announcing a new financial assistance package, made of emergency loans and grants, to support Ukraine in the medium and long-term," von der Leyen tweeted, Ukrinform reports. 

According to her, this support will help Ukraine now "to address financing needs due to the conflict & support the country's resilience-building efforts."

In another post, von der Leyen said that the package includes macro-financial assistance of EUR 1.2 billion and a doubling of bilateral assistance this year, with another EUR 120 million.

She said she expected the European Parliament to approve this assistance as soon as possible. The first tranche of EUR 600 million could be transferred to Ukraine in the near future.

President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for her decision to provide 1.2 billion euros in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine.

"I am grateful to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the timely decision of the EU to provide EUR 1.2 billion in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine. A strong Ukraine is key to European security. The EU is once again showing strong support for Ukraine," Zelensky wrote on his Twitter account.

On January 21, Zelensky and von der Leyen discussed the security situation around Ukraine and energy security.