Leaders Of France, Italy And Germany Visit Ukrainian Leaders In Kyiv, President Macron: This Is The Message Of Unity We Send

JAKARTA - Having been criticized for being 'too cautious' about the Russian invasion, the leaders of Germany, France and Italy visited Kyiv, delivering a message of solidarity to President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.

"This is an important moment. It is a message of unity that we send to Ukraine," French President Emmanuel Macron said after arriving in Kyiv by overnight train along with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany and Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy. They were also joined by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

Air raid sirens wail over Kyiv as European leaders visit. They visited Irpin, a city northeast of the capital devastated at the start of the war, where retreating Russian troops once left corpses strewn on the streets.

Reading the graffiti on the wall that reads "For Europe, not war", President Macron said: "It's very moving to see. This is the right message."

The visit took weeks to organize, while the EU's three most powerful leaders have all fended off criticism over positions described as too respectful of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, his third move to travel together holds strong symbolism at a crucial time, a day before the EU's executive commission is expected to recommend pushing forward Ukraine's desire to join the bloc, which EU leaders hope will support at their next summit.

Chancellor Scholz, President Macron and PM Draghi have all said they are strong supporters of Ukraine, which has taken major practical steps to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian energy, as well as find weapons to help Kyiv.

On the battlefield, Ukrainian officials said their troops were still holding out against a massive Russian bombardment of the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, and described new advances in counter-offensives in the south.

But they say fighting on both main fronts hinges on receiving more aid from the West, especially artillery, to counter Russia's huge arms gain.

"Every day, I fight for Ukraine to get the weapons and equipment it needs," said President Zelensky.

The main fighting in recent weeks has been in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, where Ukrainian troops are now holed up in a chemical factory with hundreds of civilians. They ignored Russia's orders to surrender on Wednesday.

All remaining bridges linking the city with Ukrainian-held territory, on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets river, were destroyed in recent days. But Ukrainian officials say the garrison is still not completely cut off.