Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he and visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed Ukraine's progress toward integration into the European Union, European ammunition deliveries for the Ukrainian military, and fresh Russia sanctions.
Von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv after Russia overnight launched another missile attack on the Ukrainian capital -- the fifth since the start of the month and the second in as many days.
Zelensky said after the talks that during his meeting with von der Leyen, he told her that the Ukrainian military needs faster deliveries of artillery shells from the EU.
Later on May 9, EU lawmakers on May 9 voted to speed up consideration of a law to boost ammunition production in Europe to the tune of 500 million euros ($550 million), due to efforts to supply Ukraine.
The decision should see the new legislation -- termed the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) -- in place by the end of the year, MEPs and European Commission officials said.
The spending proposal, initiated by the commission, comes as the bloc seeks to supply one million artillery shells to Ukraine over the next 12 months, adding to a stream of military deliveries.
After the meeting with von der Leyen, Zelenskiy also said he criticized the restrictions that some EU nations have imposed on grain exports from Ukraine, saying the measures play to Russia's advantage. The two also talked about a new package of Russia sanctions that the EU is preparing and about Kyiv's progress in EU accession negotiations.
Ukraine was granted EU candidate status last year.
Von der Leyen's visit -- her fifth since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine -- takes place on a day full of symbolism as the European Union on May 9 celebrates Europe Day, a nod to the Schuman Declaration presented by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on the same day in 1950. The declaration is seen as the founding stone of what was to become the present-day 27-member EU.
"Good to be back in Kyiv," von der Leyen said on Twitter. "Where the values we hold dear are defended everyday."
"I welcome President Zelenskiy's decision to make 9 May Europe Day also here in Ukraine," she added.
Von der Leyen's arrival came hours after Russia launched 25 cruise missiles at Ukraine, 15 of them targeting Kyiv, in a second attack following a wave of drone strikes on May 8.
"In total, during two waves of attacks on Ukraine on the night of May 9, the Russian occupiers launched 25 cruise missiles; 23 of them were destroyed by the air defense of Ukraine," the General Staff of Ukraine's military said in a statement early on May 9.
Earlier, the head of the capital's military administration, Serhiy Popko, reported that Kyiv's air defenses had detected and destroyed about 15 missiles above the city.
No casualties or damages were immediately reported, Popko said.
The attack on Kyiv was the second in hours, after Russia on May 8 launched 35 suicide drones and 16 missiles. The missile strikes targeted the regions of Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolayiv, and Odesa, and inflicted human casualties.
"Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded civilians, and high-rise buildings, private homes, and other civilian infrastructure were damaged," the General Staff said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that five people were injured overnight on May 8 as a result of a drone strike that damaged buildings and infrastructure.
On the same day, Zelenskiy marked the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe by saying his nation will be victorious over Russia as Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-connected head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, claimed his forces were inching forward in the fiercely contested town of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Prigozhin had blamed a lack of ammunition for his group’s inability to capture Bakhmut and just days ago threatened to pull out of the city if it did not soon arrive.
On May 8, he said that his forces have begun to receive more ammunition.
Zelenskiy submitted a bill to parliament officially marking May 9 as Europe Day in Ukraine, while Victory Day, May 8, would be celebrated as a "day of remembrance and victory over Nazism." The move was seen as a snub to Russia, which invaded Ukraine to prevent it from integrating with Europe.
Russia and other former Soviet republics celebrate the end of World War II on May 9, while Europe celebrates it a day earlier.
Zelenskiy said in a video statement on May 8 that Russian forces invading his country would be defeated with the help of Western allies just like Nazi Germany was beaten in World War II.
"We destroyed evil together, in the same way as we are now standing together against a similar evil," a direct reference to Russia and its unprovoked invasion.
"Together with all of free Europe, we will mark May 9 in Ukraine as Europe Day -- [the day] of a united Europe, the basis of which should be and will be peace; [a day] of our Europe," Zelenskiy said. "Ukraine has always been, is, and will be a part of [this Europe]."
On the battlefield, Ukrainian defenders repelled 42 attacks over the past 24 hours in the Bakhmut-Avdiyivka-Maryinka direction in Donetsk, the military said on May 9. The fiercest fighting is taking place in Bakhmut and Maryinka, it added.
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