EuropeJuly 20, 2026 1:01 pm • 2 min readEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference ahead of the G7 Summit in Japan, at the European Council in Brussels on May 15, 2023. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on July 20 that she called with Ukraine's new Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, pledging ongoing cooperation on reforms and European integration."You can count on our full support, including in your work to improve energy sector's governance," the chief of the EU's executive arm said on X.In her first call with Koretskyi since he assumed office last week, von der Leyen also underscored the recently signed Drone Deal and preparations for the already fifth winter of the full-scale war.Ukraine and the EU concluded their Drone Deal — an agreement to deepen industrial cooperation in unmanned systems — during von der Leyen's visit to Kyiv on July 15, which took place amid a major reshuffle of Ukraine's cabinet of ministers."Our Drone Deal will harness the EU's industrial strength to produce Ukraine's most innovative defense equipment at speed and scale," von der Leyen said.Koretskyi, a former CEO of state oil and gas company Naftogaz, assumed office on July 16 after President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed former Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.The reshuffle took place as Ukraine pursues closer integration with Europe across multiple tracks, from EU accession to defense-industrial cooperation.While the EU has already launched two out of six negotiation clusters with Ukraine, experts noted slowing progress in reforms on Kyiv's part. Taras Kachka, until recently serving as deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, was among those dismissed in the reshuffle, with ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov taking his place.Last week, Brussels also concluded a new Defense Industrial Partnership with Kyiv to pool European resources with Ukraine's war-tested expertise, with von der Leyen announcing about 11 billion euros ($12.5 billion) for drones, jets, and missiles for Ukraine.