EU chief vows “unshakeable” solidarity with Ukraine

BRUSSELS, (Reuters): The European Union’s support to Ukraine is unshakeable as the country faces off against Russia, the head of the bloc’s executive, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, told a landmark speech on Wednesday.

“Europe’s solidarity with Ukraine will remain unshakeable,” she said in an annual address to lawmakers at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Von der Leyen said EU sanctions against Russia would remain in place and that the 27-nation bloc would continue to support Kyiv financially. “The sanctions are here to stay, this is the time for us to show resolve, not appeasement,” von der Leyen said.

Europe will bring Ukraine into its free roaming area, and the European Commission will work with Kyiv to ensure seamless access to the bloc’s single market, she said.

“This is why today, I am going to Kyiv, to discuss all this with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky – and to show him what the single market is as a potential for Ukraine’s future, too,” she said. (Reuters)