The European Parliament confirmed on July 18 Ursula von der Leyen as the European Commission president, granting her a second 5-year term. First elected in 2019, von der Leyen led the EU’s executive arm during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, positioning herself as a staunch supporter of Kyiv. The 65-year-old German politician was supported by 401 European Parliament members (MEP) in a secret vote, with 284 voting against. Von der Leyen’s European People’s Party (EPP) came first in the European elections in June, which resulted in the continued dominance of centrist forces in spite of …