European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Saturday morning in a planned and well-announced visit, her sixth since Russia’s war on Ukraine in February last year.
Van der Leyen was joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the train station in Kiev, and Zelensky and Van der Leyen are expected to discuss Ukraine’s progress on its path to EU accession.
The visit comes ahead of a report to be presented next Wednesday by the president of the European Commission on Ukraine’s progress in implementing reforms deemed necessary by the European Union. Union leaders meet next December to decide on joining the alliance… and negotiating with Kiev.
“I want Ukraine to assure us that we stand by Ukraine and offer encouragement and support,” van der Leyen told reporters en route to Kiev.
In addition to Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union, the head of the commission said he also wants to discuss the financial and military support provided to Kiev and the economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the war during the visit.
Van der Leyen acknowledged that traveling to a war zone doesn’t happen often. “Of course, whenever I go to Ukraine, there’s always a certain tension because it’s a war zone,” he said.
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