ISTANBUL

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to frontline member states starting Friday, the commission announced Thursday in a written statement.

"Starting tomorrow, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will travel to Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania," the statement said.

Her visit aims to voice the EU's support for member states "facing the challenges of sharing borders with Russia or Belarus" and to discuss Europe's security and defense with government leaders and military officials.

"Tomorrow, I'll travel to the 7 Member States that strengthen and protect our external borders with Russia and Belarus. I want to express the EU’s full solidarity with them. And share the progress we're making in building a strong European defence industry, esp. through SAFE," von der Leyen also reaffirmed on US social media company X.

The commission chief will visit Latvia and Finland on Friday, Estonia on Saturday, Poland and Bulgaria on Sunday, and Lithuania and Romania on Monday.