EU chief pledges unfaltering support for Ukraine in Kyiv visit

Ursula von der Leyen wants Vladimir Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv on Thursday. AP

Europe will support war-torn Ukraine for "as long as it takes", European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday, during a trip to Kyiv for talks on closer integration.

Ms von der Leyen's trip coincided with a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his increasingly close ally, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in former Soviet state Uzbekistan.

The two leaders hailed their strategic ties in defiance of the West.

Thursday's visit was Ms von der Leyen's third to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, but this was different.

"We will never be able to match the sacrifice that the Ukrainians are making," she said alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"But what we can tell you is that you'll have your European friends by your side as long as it takes."

Ms von der Leyen also said that she wanted Mr Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine.

"That Putin must lose this war and must face up to his actions, that is important to me," she told the TV channel of German news outlet Bild.

On her arrival in Ukraine, Ms von der Leyen said her talks with the country's leaders would be about "getting our economies and people closer."

Ukraine war latest - in pictures

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  Ukrainian firefighters at a thermal power plant damaged by a Russian missile strike, in Kharkiv. Reuters

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  Rescuers in Kharkiv extinguish a fire after a rocket strike. EPA

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  Ukrainian soldiers and local officials are greeted by residents with hugs and handshakes in the village of Kozacha. Reuters

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  The charred remains of a Russian tank in territory retaken by Ukraine in the Kharkiv region. AP

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  Half-submerged Russian tanks amid the Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kharkiv. AFP

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  A Russian poster is pulled from a billboard to reveal a poem by Ukrainian Taras Shevchenko in Balakliia, Kharkiv. Reuters

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  Ukrainian troops in the recently retaken settlement of Vasylenkove. Reuters

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  Charred armoured cars litter the road in Balakliia. AFP

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  A burnt-out tank in Kharkiv region. AFP

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  Ukrainian flags are placed on statues in a square in Balakliia. AFP

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  Shell holes pepper the Misto entertainment complex in Kharkiv. EPA

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  Fixing windows in the damaged Misto complex. EPA

Kyiv gained EU candidacy status in June at the same time as former Soviet state Moldova, which shares a border with Ukraine.

Like its neighbour, Moldova has had Russian troops stationed in an eastern breakaway region.

Mr Zelenskyy said his country wanted to join the European single market before a decision was made on whether to grant Kyiv full EU membership.

The historic candidacy vote angered Moscow, which has tried to retain political and military influence in Ukraine and Moldova since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago.

Zaporizhzhia latest - in pictures

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  Jeffrey DeLaurentis, US ambassador for special political affairs, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Getty Images / AFP

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  Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Getty Images / AFP

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  UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was told by the International Atomic Energy Agency that inspectors on the ground were 'gravely concerned' after finding damage caused to buildings at the plant. Getty Images / AFP

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  Members of the UN Security Council attend a meeting on Tuesday. Getty Images / AFP

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  IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to reporters as the agency prepares to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. AP

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  Mr Grossi and 13 of his colleagues inspected the plant that is on the front line of the Russian war in Ukraine. Getty Images

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  Refugees from eastern Ukraine receive humanitarian aid at a distribution point in Zaporizhzhia. AP

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  Refugees from eastern Ukraine receive humanitarian aid. AP

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  A Russian serviceman guards an area of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station. AP

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  Girls play as a woman distributes iodine tablets to residents at a local school in case of a radiation leak in Zaporizhzhia. AP

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  A woman and her daughter stand in front of their house in the village of Zorya, located about 20 kilometres from the nuclear power plant. AP

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  A pack of iodine tablets being distributed at a local school in case of a radiation leak in Zaporizhzhia. AP

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  Residents in the village of Zorya say that it's not the shelling that scares them most but the risk of a leak in the plant. AP

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  Heavy fighting continues near Europe's largest nuclear power plant. AP

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  People wait for their turn to get iodine tablets in Zaporizhzhia. AP

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  Broken windows at a building at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia plant. Reuters

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  A motorcade carrying members of the IAEA leaves after inspecting the plant. AP

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  Agency team members inspect the Zaporizhzhia plant. AP

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  A general view of a crater left by a Russian missile strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. Reuters

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  During several hours of work at the Zaporizhzhia plant, the IAEA mission received key information about the situation at the nuclear power plant from personnel. EPA

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  A picture taken during a visit organised by the Russian military shows international journalists around a drone near Zaporizhzhia. EPA

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  A missile outside the Zaporizhzhia plant. EPA

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  A view of the Ukrainian plant. EPA

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  A picture taken during a visit organised by the Russian military shows Russian servicemen on guard at the plant. EPA

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  IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and agency members inspect the Zaporizhzhia plant. EPA

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  A Ukrainian serviceman with a bomb-sniffing dog checks a motorcade transporting part of the IAEA mission. Reuters

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  Mr Grossi speaks with journalists after he and a part of the IAEA mission returned from inspections. Reuters

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  A Russian military convoy is seen in May on the road towards the Zaporizhzhia plant. AP

EU countries have staunchly supported Ukraine since Moscow invaded by imposing economic penalties on Russia.

Many members of the bloc have supplied Kyiv with advanced weapons that have helped Ukrainian forces in recent weeks to recapture large areas of territory.

Germany's Defence Minister, Christine Lambrecht, on Thursday pledged more weapons, saying Berlin will provide armoured vehicles and rocket-launch systems but not the battle tanks sought by Ukraine.

Ms von der Leyen said just before her trip that the waves of EU sanctions against Russia would remain and that Europeans must keep their resolve against Moscow.

"I want to make it very clear, the sanctions are here to stay," she told the European Parliament.

IAEA issues warning over military activity near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - video

The Kremlin maintains that Russia has weathered the economic penalties and Moscow has responded by reducing or halting entirely gas flows to European countries.

With winter fast approaching, this has forced the EU to find alternative supplies, agree on plans to cut consumption and introduce financial support amid soaring prices.

Ukrainian energy plants including Zaporizhzhia, Europe's biggest nuclear plant, have been hit by Russian strikes.

The UN nuclear agency on Thursday asked Russia to withdraw its troops from Zaporizhzhia, diplomats said.

Ukraine's forces have posted slow but steady gains in the southern Kherson region near the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian presidency said on Thursday that intense fighting was continuing around that southern front, and that the military situation "remains extremely difficult."

Local officials in the region around Mr Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih reported more Russian strikes on Thursday after attacks damaged a dam and left dozens of homes flooded.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant attacked - in pictures

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  A bright flaring object lands near the nuclear plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine. AP

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  Russian forces shelled Europe’s largest nuclear plant early on Friday. AP

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  Surveillance camera footage shows a flare landing at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Reuters

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  The flare lands at the plant. Reuters

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  Multiple blasts at the plant were recorded. AFP

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  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes a statement following the attack. Reuters

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  The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, on September 2, 2019. AP

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  A power-generating unit at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. AP Photo

In the eastern Donetsk region, which has been partly controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014, shelling killed two civilians and wounded 13.

In the Ukrainian-held Donetsk town of Bakhmut, streets were deserted and the nearby artillery could be heard in the town's centre, AFP reported.

A residential building hit by Russian strikes overnight was still on fire, with thick smoke rising as firefighters battled the blaze.

At the meeting in Uzbekistan, Mr Putin criticised attempts to create a "unipolar world" and praised China's stance on the conflict.

"We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis," Mr Putin told Mr Xi.

Beijing has not explicitly endorsed Moscow's invasion but has steadily built economic and strategic ties with Russia over the six months of the war.