French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday. European leaders organized this joint visit to speak face-to-face with President Volodymyr Zelensky and discuss the future of the country, which has been under attack since February 24.

European leaders promise help against Russian invasion of Ukraine – Photo: reproduction/Twitter/Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz/ND

At the time of his arrival, Macron said the visit represented an “important moment” and sent a “message of unity” to the Ukrainian people. The French leader also claimed that war crimes were committed in the city of Irpen, at the entrance to Kyiv. “This is a heroic city, marked by the stigma of barbarism,” he said.

Like the city of Bucha, Irpin was heavily bombed during the occupation by the Russian army in March. The Russians “destroyed kindergartens, playgrounds. We are going to restore everything,” said Mario Draghi.

Le monde entier a été témoin descrimes de guerre Commis sur le sol ukrainien. Pour que le authors of crimes, soient tenus pour responsables et punis conformément au droit international, nous restons mobilisés. Pour Collector Les Preuves, from the experts of sont en première ligne. pic.twitter.com/CeoDcrZCjf

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 16, 2022

Olaf Scholz said Germany would help Ukraine resist the Russian offensive “for as long as it takes.” “We want to make sure that we organize financial, humanitarian and also on the issue of weapons,” he told the Portuguese public news agency RTP.

Within hours of the start of the European leaders’ visit, Russia announced the opening of the Severodonetsk humanitarian corridor specifically for civilians stranded at the Azot plant. According to the United Nations (UN), about 500 people are being held there in harsh conditions.

Wir sind heute mit einer klaren Botschaft nach #Kyiv gekommen: Die #Ukraine gehort zur europäischen Familie. Deutschland will eine positive Entscheidung zugunsten der Ukraine als #I– Beitritskandidat.@ZelenskyyUa pic.twitter.com/HhhK0KTGfG

— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) June 16, 2022

*According to RTP