KYIV, Ukraine
EU commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that war-torn Ukraine would have the backing of Brussels for as long as necessary as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nears its seventh month.
“We will never be able to match the sacrifice that the Ukrainians are making… but what we can tell you is that you’ll have your European friends by your side as long as it takes,” she told reporters during a joint press conference with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky.Von der Leyen said that today’s visit was her third to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, but this one was different.
Upon her arrival she noted her discussions with Ukraine’s leaders would be about “getting our economies and people closer”. 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.
Zelensky told the same press conference that his country wants to join the European single market ahead of a decision on whether to grant Kyiv full EU membership. The historic vote angered Moscow, which has tried to retain political and military influence in both countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago.
EU countries have staunchly supported Ukraine since Moscow invaded in February by hitting Russia with waves of economic penalties. And many members of the bloc have supplied Kyiv with advanced weapons that have helped Ukrainian forces in recent weeks recapture swathes of territory from Russia.
Von der Leyen said just ahead of her trip that the successive waves of EU sanctions against Russia would remain and that Europeans must keep their resolve against Moscow. “I want to make it very clear, the sanctions are here to stay,” she told the European Parliament.
The Kremlin maintains that Russia has weathered the economic penalties and Moscow has responded by reducing or halting entirely gas flows to European countries. With winter fast approaching, this has forced the EU to source alternative supplies, agree plans to cut consumption and roll out financial support in the face of skyrocketing prices.
Ukraine and its allies have been buoyed by gains in the eastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia over recent days and Zelensky promised an overall Ukrainian “victory” while visiting the crucial hub of Izyum recaptured this week.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday its forces were carrying out high-precision strikes in areas recaptured by Kyiv in Kharkiv. Ukraine’s forces have also posted slower, but steady gains in the southern Kherson region near the Black Sea.
The Ukrainian presidency said on Thursday that intense fighting was ongoing around that southern front, adding that the military situation “remains extremely difficult.” Local officials in the region around Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih reported fresh Russian strikes Thursday after attacks damaged a dam and saw dozens of homes flooded.
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. In the Ukrainian-held Donetsk town of Bakhmut, AFP journalists said streets were deserted and the sound of nearby artillery was audible in the town’s centre.
Flames were still licking a residential building hit by Russian strikes overnight and plumes of thick smoke were rising as firefighters battled the blaze. 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.
