Last weekend, Belga News Agency reporter Frisien Vervaeke covered European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s trip to Kyiv on behalf of the European Newsroom (enr). Other high-ranking officials such as Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also made their way to the Ukrainian capital.
The visit came as Ukrainian forces are losing ground and key support from allies, such as the United States, has been in doubt. Among other things, von der Leyen met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
“My visit to Kyiv marks the second anniversary of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. I am coming to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the brave Ukrainian people,” von der Leyen told reporters travelling with her, among them the Belga News Agency reporter acting as a pool reporter for the enr, after arriving in Kyiv.
“We have recently made major announcements in terms of financial support to Ukraine, but it is also very important to express our moral support. And of course, this trip will be the opportunity to discuss all aspects of our European support to Ukraine,” the European Commission president added.
This was the third pool trip for the European Newsroom. This time, text and photo material was shared with the pool.
Ahead of the trip, the enr published a Key Story on the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which you can read here.