KYIV, Ukraine
\nEU 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\u2019s invasion of Ukraine nears its seventh month.
\n\u201cWe will never be able to match the sacrifice that the Ukrainians are making… but what we can tell you is that you\u2019ll have your European friends by your side as long as it takes,\u201d she told reporters during a joint press conference with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky.Von der Leyen said that today\u2019s visit was her third to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, but this one was different.
\nUpon her arrival she noted her discussions with Ukraine\u2019s leaders would be about \u201cgetting our economies and people closer\u201d. 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.
\nZelensky 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.
\nEU 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.
\nVon 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. \u201cI want to make it very clear, the sanctions are here to stay,\u201d she told the European Parliament.
\nThe 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.
\nUkraine 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 \u201cvictory\u201d while visiting the crucial hub of Izyum recaptured this week.
\nRussia\u2019s defence ministry said on Thursday its forces were carrying out high-precision strikes in areas recaptured by Kyiv in Kharkiv. Ukraine\u2019s forces have also posted slower, but steady gains in the southern Kherson region near the Black Sea.
\nThe Ukrainian presidency said on Thursday that intense fighting was ongoing around that southern front, adding that the military situation \u201cremains extremely difficult.\u201d Local officials in the region around Zelensky\u2019s hometown of Kryvyi Rih reported fresh Russian strikes Thursday after attacks damaged a dam and saw dozens of homes flooded.
\nIn 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\u2019s centre.
\nFlames 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2019s invasion of Ukraine nears its seventh month. \u201cWe will never be able to match the sacrifice that the Ukrainians are making… but what we can tell you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283912,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[10669,8448],"class_list":{"0":"post-283895","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-eu-commission-president","9":"tag-ursula-von-der-leyen"},"yoast_head":"\n