Fifth Press Pool Trip: enr in Ukraine on third-anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion

From Sunday, 23 February until Tuesday, 25 February, a journalist from the German Press Agency dpa travelled to Ukraine with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to report on behalf of the European Newsroom (enr).

February 24 marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on this date in 2022. It set off the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and Ukrainian civilians have been killed. Cities across the country’s South and East have been flattened and millions were forced to flee their homes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for “real, lasting peace” this year as European leaders gathered for a summit in Kiev to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

While in Kiev, von der Leyen announced that the European Union would disburse an aid payment for Ukraine worth 3.5 billion Euro in March. She also pledged further measures to increase the energy security of Ukraine and the EU.

In addition to von der Leyen and 21 Commissioners, European Council President António Costa as well as the leaders of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Canada were also present in Kiev.

This marked the fifth press pool trip for the European Newsroom. The dpa reporter shared text, audio and photo material with the pool, which was set up exclusively for journalists from enr member agencies.

Several enr agencies published news stories about von der Leyen’s visit to Ukraine on their wires. The enr also produced a Key Story, which you can read here.