STRASBOURG, July 18 (Reuters) - Ursula von der Leyen won a second term as president of the European Commission on Thursday after pledging to create a continental "defence union" and to stay the course on Europe's green transition while cushioning its burden on industry.

Members of the European Parliament backed von der Leyen's bid for another five-year term at the helm of the European Union's powerful executive body with 401 votes in her favour and 284 against in a secret ballot in the 720-member chamber.

In an address to the Parliament in Strasbourg earlier in the day, von der Leyen, 65, laid out a programme focused on prosperity and security, shaped by the challenges of Russia's war in Ukraine, global economic competition and climate change.

"The next five years will define Europe’s place in the world for the next five decades. It will decide whether we shape our own future or let it be shaped by events or by others," von der Leyen said ahead of the vote.

She stressed the need not to backtrack on the "Green Deal" transformation of the EU economy to fight climate change - a key pledge for Green lawmakers, who joined her core coalition of centre-right, centre-left and liberal groups in supporting her.

After pledging to support Ukraine for as long as it takes in its fight against Russia, von der Leyen said Europe's liberty was at stake and that it must invest more in defence.

Asked after the vote about the possibility of facing a protectionist and isolationist U.S. administration under Donald Trump, von der Leyen said the EU was working on "reducing our dependencies" irrespective of elections elsewhere.

"We will work closely with our friends and allies, that is absolutely clear," she told reporters. "But that does also include that we are building our own strength."

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