European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen left the plenary session on October 21 while Slovak MEP Milan Uhrík was delivering a speech. Uhrík strongly condemned the European Union's plan to provide an additional 70 billion euros in aid to Ukraine through 2027. He accused EU leadership of ignoring the plight of European citizens, who are currently struggling with high inflation and rising costs of living, to fund a conflict he describes as militarily stalemated. With total EU support for Ukraine reaching 231.5 billion euros since 2022, Uhrík urged officials to refocus efforts on helping families, young people with housing, and businesses burdened by high energy prices instead of continuing current financial commitments.