Von der Leyen Reaffirms EU Support for Kyiv Following Renewed Russian Strikes

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 17 September 2026 following sustained Russian attacks on Kyiv. According to an official readout from the European Commission, von der Leyen stated that Russian forces are relentlessly targeting the Ukrainian capital in an effort to make daily life impossible for its inhabitants. She reaffirmed the European Union's support for Ukraine amidst the continuing strikes.

The conversation highlights the persistent military and civilian pressure on Ukraine as Russia targets major urban centers. High-level diplomatic exchanges between Brussels and Kyiv serve to keep European political focus on the humanitarian and physical destruction caused by the war. For ordinary citizens, these diplomatic contacts signal the backdrop against which European aid, infrastructure support, and sanctions policies are maintained and evaluated.

In European diplomacy, official read-outs—brief public summaries of calls between heads of state or institutions—are used to signal policy continuity and executive alignment without disclosing sensitive operational details. The Commission executive uses these public statements to maintain clear institutional messaging across the EU's 27 member states, reinforcing the executive's diplomatic backing of Kyiv during periods of intensified military pressure.

The European Commission and member states will continue to assess Ukraine's civil and energy assistance needs as Russian strikes persist. High-level communication between Brussels and Ukrainian leadership is expected to remain continuous as the political and humanitarian response evolves.