EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was in Kyiv Thursday for her first visit to Ukraine since the war-scarred country became a candidate for bloc membership, angering Moscow.
Her trip coincides with a highly-touted meeting between the leaders of Russia and China in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan for a regional summit that Moscow and Beijing have said offers an alternative to Western global influence.
It also comes as Ukrainian forces have been consolidating gains against Russian forces in the east of the country in a dramatic offensive aided by Western weapons.
Von der Leyen said Thursday’s visit was her third to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, but that this one was different.
“So much has changed. Ukraine is now an EU candidate,” she said on social media.
“I’ll discuss with (President Volodymyr) Zelensky and (Prime Minister) Denys Shmygal how to continue getting our economies and people closer while Ukraine progresses towards accession,” she said.
Ukraine gained EU candidacy status in June at the same time as ex-Soviet Moldova, which borders Ukraine and like its neighbour has had Russian troops stationed in an eastern breakaway region.
The Ukrainian presidency said on Thursday that intense fighting was ongoing around that southern front and that the military situation there “remains extremely difficult.”
In the eastern Donetsk region, which has been partially controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014, fresh shelling killed two civilians and left another 13 wounded.
Ukraine launched a mandatory drive to evacuate civilians from the eastern industrial region, where its forces have also announced gains, ahead of the counter-offensive but many civilians remain.
AFP