European Parliament President arrives in Kyiv

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, is on a visit to Kyiv.

"Ms. Metsola is here, in the city," Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, said in his speech at the EuroSummit of Civil Society Organisations in Kyiv. 

Schleuning added that Ukrainians "defend us, Europeans, and the European Union every day." 

He extended his greetings to Ukrainians on Europe Day and emphasised the importance of this holiday. 

Shortly afterwards, photos of Metsola's meeting at the Kyiv train station were posted by Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker for the Verkhovna Rada [the Ukrainian parliament]. 

He noted that the European Parliament is "at the forefront" of supporting Ukraine. 

"It was the first institution in the EU to advocate granting Ukraine candidate status for membership of the European Union. The European Parliament has always had a strong voice when it comes to building an international coalition to support our struggle for freedom and European values, when it comes to supplying weapons to Ukraine and increasing sanctions pressure against Russia. And Ukraine will always appreciate that," Stefanchuk said.

Metsola's visit, apparently symbolically scheduled for Europe Day, was not announced in advance, and its details remain unknown. This trip to Ukraine is likely her last as the President of the European Parliament, as Europeans will be electing a new parliament in less than a month.

Polls indicate that Europeans are showing a higher level of interest in the European elections this year than five years ago.