Ukrainian Presidential Press Office

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stock a connection arsenic they conscionable connected the juncture of a Ukraine EU summit, successful Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. The 23rd acme betwixt the European Union and Ukraine is held successful Kyiv. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

KYIV – European Union leaders vowed to uphold Ukraine's vigor information and signed deals intended to bolster ties during a acme Tuesday successful the Ukrainian capital.

In a connection aft the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, EU Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed their “continued committedness to strengthening the governmental relation and economical integration of Ukraine with the European Union.”

They emphasized that further reforms and regulatory changes successful Ukraine would assistance found conditions for enhanced economical and commercialized relations with the 27-nation bloc, starring to Ukraine’s further gradual economical integration into the EU market.

“I privation america to stay ambitious successful our relationship," von der Leyen tweeted. "The EU and Ukraine stock a heavy and peculiar bond.”

Pressed astir prospects of Ukraine’s eventual EU rank astatine a quality league aft the talks, von der Leyen responded that “we are 1 European household and we enactment together.”

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The Ukrainian person lamented the EU's refusal to acceptable a wide timeline for the country's rank successful the bloc successful remarks that reflected Kyiv's frustration.

“We are walking 1 path, but wherever is the decorativeness line?” Zelenskyy said. “And is determination any? Every Ukrainian wants to perceive that signal.”

On Tuesday, Ukraine and EU signed a woody intended to facilitate aerial travel, which Michel said "opens marketplace to debased outgo airlines and offers galore much opportunities for exchanges and visits.”

The EU leaders besides reiterated their “unwavering enactment and committedness to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity wrong its internationally recognized borders.”

Along with the U.S., the EU has provided governmental and economical enactment to Ukraine, which has been locked successful a tug-of-war with Moscow pursuing Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its enactment for a separatist insurgency successful eastbound Ukraine.

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Zelenskyy connected Tuesday called connected the EU to ramp up its sanctions connected Russia.

He besides reaffirmed his country's beardown absorption to a caller Russian earthy state pipeline that goes straight to Germany nether the Baltic Sea, bypassing its territory. Kyiv fears that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline volition deprive the state of $2 cardinal successful yearly state transit fees and erode its planetary standing.

Von der Leyen promised that the EU would assistance safeguard Ukraine's vigor information and assistance guarantee state supplies from neighboring bloc members.

“Gas proviso information would see a reverse travel if indispensable from the European Union, for example, Slovakia, which is consenting to measurement up,” von der Leyen said. “Overall, what we are moving connected unneurotic ... is independence. Energy independency is captious for Ukraine and for the European Union.”

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