The presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, will visit Kiev on the occasion of the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which falls on Monday, DPA reported, BTA reports.
In a post on the social network “X“, Costa said that the visit would aim to “reaffirm support for the heroic Ukrainian people and for the democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelensky“.
The emphasis on Zelensky's democratic legitimacy is a clear response to US President Donald Trump, who yesterday called him a “dictator“ and questioned its democratic mandate, DPA notes.
Earlier this week, the European Commission announced that Von der Leyen and representatives of the institution were planning a visit to Ukraine for the anniversary, but without revealing further details.