European Parliament head visits Ukraine, announces permanent office in Kyiv
Editor's note: The article was expanded with additional details.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced a permanent position for a representative of the European Parliament in Kyiv, in a move that strengthens ties with Ukraine during her visit to Kyiv on Sept. 17.
"My point and my message here today was in solidarity, but also in full commitment and steadfast support for Ukraine, both financially, humanitarianly — and also on the way to EU membership," Metsola said during a press event at the EU Delegation building, which was damaged during a Russian strike only three weeks earlier that killed 23 people.
Behind her, an armored window showed a web of broken glass where it had been hit by shrapnel.
Metsola announced that the position would facilitate the ongoing EU support for the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, as well as strengthen cooperation on legislative requests and security support. The position will be staffed by Maximilan Schröder, who has been leading cooperation between the two legislative bodies for the European Parliament, and will be located in the EU Delegation building.
"We have been from the very beginning at the forefront of saying that Ukraine should be closer and more integrated in the European Union, and this is one of those steps," Metsola added.
Metsola arrived in Kyiv earlier on Sept. 17 to meet with top Ukrainian officials to discuss accession efforts, sanctions against Russia, and other issues.
Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk welcomed Metsola as she arrived in Ukraine's capital on her fourth visit since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.
"1,300 days since the start of the aggression, I am in Ukraine with (the European Parliament's) strong message of support," Metsola wrote on X.
As part of her visit, Metsola paid respect to the killed Ukrainian soldiers at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen and delivered a speech at Verkhovna Rada, announcing the new European Parliament representative.
The EU official assured Ukrainian lawmakers of continued military, humanitarian, and economic support and the EU's commitment to a just peace for Ukraine.
"Our position is clear. Peace must be permanent, it must be based on justice, and it must be based on dignity," Metsola said in her speech.
The visit comes as Ukraine calls for more resolute steps from Western partners in pressuring Russia to peace talks, primarily through harsher sanctions.
Last week, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution calling for a peaceful resolution of the war and asking the European Commission to launch the first cluster of accession talks with Kyiv.
While the Commission already backed the launch of the negotiations, the process is being blocked by the Hungarian government, which is seen as the most Kremlin-friendly within the EU.
The European Commission is also expected to soon unveil its 19th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting the country's crypto assets, banks, and energy.
U.S. President Donald Trump called upon European countries to cut off Russian oil purchases as a condition for Washington also stepping up pressure.
After a call with Trump, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would seek to speed up the phase-out of Russian energy purchases, originally set for the end of 2027.
