European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Kyiv on Tuesday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, her spokesperson announced on Monday. This will be the Commission President's fifth visit since the start of the Russian military offensive in February 2022. "The President will reaffirm the EU's unwavering support for Ukraine," her door said. -speaker, Éric Mamer, stressing that this visit would take place on Europe Day.
Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that his country is renouncing all commemoration of the victory over Nazi Germany on May 9 in accordance with Soviet and Russian tradition, and will henceforth celebrate the day on May 8 with "the free world". Western countries mark the anniversary of the German surrender on May 8, but Moscow has always kept the date of May 9 due to a difference in time zones.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made defeating the Nazis an essential part of Russian identity and nationalism, downplaying the role of other Allies. And he also consistently placed his invasion of Ukraine within that legacy, saying his neighbor needed to be "denazified." The European Commission also announced on Monday that it had submitted to EU member states an eleventh package of restrictive measures against Russia intended to prevent the circumvention of European sanctions.
