KYIV — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed Ukraine as “the beating heart of today’s European values” in a deeply symbolic go to to Kyiv on Tuesday as Russia marked its World War Two Victory Day.
Von der Leyen’s journey underlined the European Union’s help for Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a navy parade on Moscow’s Red Square and portrayed his personal nation as beneath assault by the West as battle rages in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned he and von der Leyen had mentioned protection issues, sanctions on Russia and Ukraine’s integration with Europe at talks in Kyiv.
“Our efforts for a united Europe, for security and peace, need to be as strong as Russia’s desire to destroy our security, our freedom, our Europe,” he instructed a joint news convention.
He additionally highlighted Russia’s navy failures in Ukraine by saying Russian forces had not managed to attain the purpose of capturing the japanese metropolis of Bakhmut earlier than the May 9 vacation, when Russia celebrates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.
The battle for Bakhmut has been raging for months and the preventing has been intense. Moscow regards capturing it as a stepping stone in the direction of taking different cities in Ukraine’s industrial east.
Von der Leyen’s journey fell on the day the EU celebrates as Europe Day, which Ukraine adopted as its personal on Monday, underlining its ambition to affix Western establishments after making use of to affix the EU final yr following Russia’s invasion.
Von der Leyen, who arrived in Kyiv after an evening of Russian air strikes, welcomed Zelenskiy’s choice on adopting Europe Day.
“Good to be back in Kyiv. Where the values we hold dear are defended everyday,” von der Leyen, who heads the EU govt, wrote on Twitter.
“Ukraine is on the front line of the defense of everything we Europeans cherish: our liberty, our democracy, our freedom of thought and speech. Courageously, Ukraine is fighting for the ideals of Europe that we celebrate today.”
Trade restrictions
Zelenskiy mentioned he anticipated an eleventh package deal of EU sanctions to be imposed on Russia quickly and that it ought to embrace highly effective sanctions on Russia’s atomic sector.
He mentioned he anticipated an EU summit in June to yield a constructive appraisal of Ukraine’s integration course of.
“Our values, security, our wellbeing, security on the continent — all of this can be 100% realized for Europe only together with Ukraine,” he mentioned.
Despite the gestures of solidarity, Zelenskiy criticized commerce restrictions imposed by a few of Ukraine’s neighbors, calling for “strong” European selections to take away them.
“Any restrictions on our exports are currently absolutely unacceptable, because it strengthens not any of us in Europe but…the potential of the aggressor,” he mentioned.
Last week the European Union set restrictions till June 5 on imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Those nations have cited issues that Ukrainian grain meant for export to different nations has ended up of their native markets. — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
