European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged the EU would support Ukraine “as long as it takes” against Russia during a visit to Kyiv on Thursday.
The visit coincides with a meeting between Russian and Chinese Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, who met in Uzbekistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) regional summit.
read more: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping show their solidarity with the West
Financial assistance
In Ukraine, Ms von der Leyen spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denis Chmykal, said she was impressed by the “courage” of Ukrainian forces and confirmed 5 billion euros (4.8 billion francs) in funding to Kiev. Proposed by the commission in early September.
It is the third visit to Ukraine for Ms van der Leyen, who received the Ukrainian decoration from Mr Zelensky on Thursday.
He indicated before his trip that discussions would focus on “how to bring our economies and people closer together as Ukraine moves towards joining the Union.”
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