Ukraine war: Ursula von der Leyen’s traumatic visit to Bucha, ‘The EU stands with you,’ she tells Zelensky
- The German politician was the first Western leader to visit the Kyiv suburb; she viewed bodies exhumed from a mass grave, which left her momentarily speechless
- ‘We have seen the cruel face of Putin’s army … the ruthlessness and the cold-heartedness with which it has occupied the city,’ von der Leyen said
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed retribution as she visited Bucha on Friday, as the world recoils from recent reports that Russian troops committed atrocities there as they retreated.
Von der Leyen also promised to stand by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and said she would work towards Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
The German politician was the first Western leader to travel to the Kyiv suburb, where she viewed 20 bodies exhumed from a mass grave and lit candles in a church for the victims.
“Now the whole world can see the true face of Russia,” a uniformed man said as he showed von der Leyen around the site where the bodies lay in black bags. “We knew about it for years. But now the whole world can witness what we had to experience here.”
Von der Leyen was initially speechless, despite her familiarity with war zones from her previous post as Germany’s Defence Minister. She then said while it would not heal the wounds, “the whole world is in mourning after everything that happened here.”