European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday visited Kyiv, where she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The European Union is expected to make an announcement this week about Ukraine’s progress in fulfilling the necessary steps to begin EU membership negotiations, set for December.

“I must say you have made excellent progress. This is impressive to see,” von der Leyen said after meeting with Zelenskyy. “We should never forget you are fighting an existential war and at the same time you are deeply reforming your country,” she said.

Zelenskyy said in his daily address Saturday, “Ukraine has passed an enormous path – from a point where many didn’t believe in the possibility of our alignment with the European Union during a full-scale war to achieving the status of a candidate country at record speed and fulfilling the necessary prerequisites for opening negotiations.”

Ukraine applied to become a member of the EU days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of last year.

During a press conference with von der Leyen, Zelenskyy denied that the war had reached a stalemate and said Ukraine needs more help from its allies to strengthen its air defenses as it enters the 21st month of war.
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