EU CHIEF Charles Michel made an unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv today, the tenth anniversary of the start of the pro-European Maidan protest movement.

“Good to be back in Kyiv, among friends,” the president of the European Council posted on social media, alongside a picture of him descending from a train.

The European Council defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union. 

Michel said ahead of his arrival in Kyiv that he was coming to “express the strong support of the EU” and prepare with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for an upcoming European Union summit in December.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive, in early November recommended opening formal membership talks with Ukraine.

The EU’s 27 leaders still have to sign off on the recommendations at the summit.

Michel arrived a few hours after German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who is making an unannounced visit to reaffirm Berlin’s backing for Ukraine.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited yesterday and pledged further military support.

The flurry of visits comes as Zelensky has expressed concerns over the conflict between Israel and Hamas drawing international attention away from Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a video posted on social media today stressed that “the future of Ukraine is in the European Union”, linking this to the Maidan anniversary.

“The future that the Maidan fought for has finally begun,” she said.

Anti-government protests began in November 2013 on Kyiv’s Maidan square after Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych ditched an association agreement trade deal with the European Union.

He eventually fled to Russia in February 2014 after a violent crackdown on the protests killed dozens of people and further fueled public anger.

Zelensky in a statement on the anniversary described the Maidan protests as “the first victory in today’s war” against Russia. – AFP,  November 21, 2023.