European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv on Tuesday, where she held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
She arrived on Europe Day, which marks the defeat of the European allies over Nazi Germany during World War II. On Monday, Zelensky had declared that Ukraine would also mark Europe Day, further separating Kyiv from Moscow on the same day that the Russian-focused Victory Day is celebrated.
During her visit, von der Leyen reiterated the European Union’s support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, tweeting, “We continue to do everything in our power to erode Putin’s war machine and his revenues.”
She then went on to outline the ways in which the EU and its internal partners were cracking down on sanctions circumvention, including sharpening transit bans as well as proposals that would ban “shadow” entities from Russia and third countries from getting around the sanctions.
“We also discussed Ukraine’s progress on its EU path,” she continued. “I paid my respect to Ukraine’s efforts, working hard on reforms amidst a full blown war. Work needs to continue. Ukraine can count on our support and expertise throughout the process.”
For a second night in a row, Russia had attempted an aerial attack upon Kyiv, launching at least 25 missiles upon the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian officials said all were shot down.
The EU has been urging its 27 member nations to provide more ammunition from their stockpiles to Ukraine on top of already existing orders for arms. Since the start of the war, the EU members have mobilized at least €19.7 billion ( $21.62 billion ) to support Ukraine.
In Russia, meanwhile, this May 9th Victory Day comes amid a major security clampdown in that nation’s largest cities, where the use of drones and even jet skis and car-sharing services have been banned for the day.
