KYIV: Top European Union officials were due to meet Friday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a show of support for the country as it battles to counter Russia\u2019s invasion and strives to join the EU as well as NATO.
\nEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, as well as 15 European commissioners, traveled to the Ukrainian capital for what they described as a summit meeting.
\nThe last such summit was held in Kyiv in October 2021 \u2014 a few months before the war started.
\nEU assistance for Ukraine has reached almost 50 billion euros ($55 billion) since the fighting started, according to EU officials.
\nThe EU is providing Ukraine with financial and humanitarian aid, among other things. It also plans to adopt a 10th package of sanctions again Russia in the coming weeks.
\nUkraine wants to join the 27-nation bloc, though that could take years and require the adoption of far-reaching reforms. In the meantime, von der Leyen said Thursday that the European Commission is willing to let Kyiv join what she called some \u201ckey European programs\u201d that will bring benefits similar to membership.
\nThose programs were due to be discussed in Friday\u2019s meeting, which will also address one of the main obstacles to Ukraine\u2019s EU membership: endemic corruption.
\nVon der Leyen, on her fourth visit to Kyiv since Russia\u2019s invasion, said Thursday she was \u201ccomforted\u201d by Ukraine\u2019s anti-corruption drive.
\nThe previous day, Zelensky had taken aim at corrupt officials for the second time in the space of a week. Several high-ranking officials were dismissed.
\nZelensky was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft.
\nThe latest corruption allegations came as Western allies channel billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight Moscow\u2019s forces.
\nUkraine\u2019s government is keen to get more Western military aid, on top of the tanks pledged last week, as the warring sides are expected to launch new offensives once winter ends. Kyiv is now asking for fighter jets.
\nThe USis expected to announce Friday it will send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as part of a new $2.17 billion aid package.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KYIV: Top European Union officials were due to meet Friday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a show of support for the country as it battles to counter Russia\u2019s invasion and strives to join the EU as well as NATO. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-311512","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n