EU Leaders Pledge Support in Ukraine Visit

European Union leaders arrived Thursday in Kyiv with a message of support for the Ukrainian people, while Ukraine’s president warned of a push by Russian forces ahead of the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

“We are here together to show that the EU stands by Ukraine as firmly as ever. And to deepen further our support and cooperation,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted.

Good to be back in Kyiv, my 4th time since Russia‘s invasion.

This time, with my team of Commissioners.

We are here together to show that the EU stands by Ukraine as firmly as ever.

And to deepen further our support and cooperation. pic.twitter.com/zf8fvoNKnG

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 2, 2023

EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell said the delegation was in Kyiv to convey the EU’s “strongest message of support to all Ukrainians defending their country.” He added that the EU has stood with Ukraine since the start of Russia’s war and “will still stand with you to win and rebuild.”

EU and Ukrainian leaders are set to meet at a summit Friday to discuss the EU’s response to the conflict, reconstruction and relief efforts, global food security, and Ukraine’s application to join the EU.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Wednesday that Russia is trying to achieve some battlefield gains to show on the first anniversary of the war on February 24.

“In such circumstances, we all need to be especially united, especially focused on the national interest, and, as a result, especially resilient,” Zelenskyy said. “I am confident that we will stay like that.”

He noted what he called an increase in Russia’s offensive actions in eastern Ukraine, saying the situation “is becoming even more severe.”

Russian forces have been trying to secure control of Bakhmut, in Donetsk province, for months.

In nearby Kramatorsk, rescuers searched for survivors after a Russian missile destroyed an apartment building. The attack killed at least three people and wounded 20 others.

US sanctions

The United States on Wednesday blacklisted more business officials linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine, targeting an arms dealer, his son and a group of proxy companies across Asia, Europe and the Middle East for trying to help Moscow obtain more weapons for its nearly year-long fight.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury unveiled sanctions against Russian arms dealer Igor Zimenkov, his son Jonatan and companies connected to “the Zimenkov network” in Singapore, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Israel, among other countries.

“Russia’s desperate attempts to utilize proxies to circumvent U.S. sanctions demonstrate that sanctions have made it much harder and costlier for Russia’s military-industrial complex to resupply Putin’s war machine,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Treasury named 22 people and organizations it said were linked to the sanctions evasion network supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex. Over the last year, Treasury said it had sanctioned more than 100 people and entities engaging in activities to circumvent international sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia.

The blacklisting blocks any U.S. accounts they may own and prohibits them from doing business in the United States and with Americans.

“Targeting proxies is one of many steps that Treasury and our coalition of partners have taken, and continue to take, to tighten sanctions enforcement against Russia’s defense sector, its benefactors, and its supporters,” Adeyemo said.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.