EU chief in Kyiv: “We Stand By Ukraine As Firmly As Ever.”

A day before a summit between the European Union and Ukraine in the war-torn nation, European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Kyiv with a group of commissioners on Thursday.

“It’s good to be back in Kyiv after my fourth visit following Russia’s invasion. We are gathered here to demonstrate that the EU firmly supports Ukraine. And to further strengthen our cooperation and support, “She tweeted.

She is accompanied by 15 commissioners, including Josep Borrell, the bloc’s top diplomat.

As a “strong symbol” of European support for Ukraine “in the face of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression,” the Commission described the visit.

Since Moscow’s invasion in February, EU nations have steadfastly supported Ukraine by slapping Russia with waves of economic sanctions and sending arms to Kyiv.

Ukraine received EU candidate status in June of last year.

In the meantime, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attacked the EU chief on Thursday and claimed that the West wanted to humiliate Moscow permanently.

In remarks broadcast on Russian state television, Lavrov stated that “Ursula von der Leyen… said that the outcome of the war should be the defeat of Russia, the kind of defeat that Russia cannot recover its economy for decades, for many decades.”