Von der Leyen and Zelensky discuss Russian missile attacks, anti-corruption reforms

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke over the phone and discussed Russia's mass missile attacks overnight on March 9 and anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.

Russia launched a mass attack across Ukraine in the early morning hours of March 9, targeting numerous energy infrastructure sites and killing at least six people.

"Spoke today with (Zelensky) following the indiscriminate missile attacks on Ukraine last night. Russia’s deliberate targeting of civilians and the energy grid is a war crime. It strengthens our common resolve to continue progress in Ukraine’s reform efforts on their (European) path," she wrote on Twitter.

In his nightly address, Zelensky said that during their conversation Von der Leyen had "positively assessed" Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts, particularly the adoption of the anti-corruption strategy and the appointment of a new director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

"This is important in the context of our further movement in European integration before the start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union," Zelensky said.

Semen Kryvonos was appointed as the new head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau by the Cabinet of Ministers on March 6.