EU Officials Visit Kyiv As Russia Strikes Civilian Target

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Top European Union officials arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for talks with the Ukrainian government as rescue crews dug through the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine that was struck by a Russian missile, killing at least three people and wounding 21 others.

The scene of devastation in the eastern Donetsk provincial city of Kramatorsk, where emergency workers spent the night searching for survivors after the missile hit late Wednesday, served as a grim reminder of the war’s toll almost a year after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

At least one more victim was believed to be under the debris, Ukraine’s presidential office said.

Russia has frequently struck apartment buildings during the war, causing civilian casualties, although the Kremlin has denied targeting residential structures.

Russian shelling across Ukraine over the previous 24 hours killed at least eight civilians and wounded 29 others, the presidential office said. Along with the victims in Kramatorsk, the toll included four who died when a Russian mortar shell hit a basement where they were sheltering in the northeastern Chernihiv region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell before what officials described as a summit on Friday.

Borrell tweeted that the visit aimed “to convey EU’s strongest message of support to all Ukrainians defending their country.”

EU assistance for Ukraine, he said, has reached 50 billion euros ($55 billion) since the start of Russia’s war on Feb. 24.

“Europe stood united with Ukraine from day one. And will still stand with you to win and rebuild,” Borrell tweeted.

It was Von der Leyen’s fourth visit since the invasion. The last such summit was held in Kyiv in October 2021 — a few months before the war started.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption drive was expected to be on the agenda of the talks. Kyiv’s long path toward potential membership in the 27-nation bloc will be a key issue under discussion, with stamping out corruption a key condition for joining.

Von der Leyen tweeted: “We are here together to show that the EU stands by Ukraine as firmly as ever. And to deepen further our support and cooperation.”

Zelenskyy on…