Ukraine crisis | EU pledges lasting support at 'historic' Kyiv meeting

EU foreign ministers meet in Kyiv to show solidarity and support for Ukraine. The meeting is a historic first outside the bloc's borders and a signal of the EU's long-term commitment to Ukraine. The purpose is to express solidarity and support to the Ukrainian people, and not to reach concrete decisions. Hungary, Poland and Latvia did not attend, but the Dutch FM said it was important to show solidarity. Kyiv's forces have made limited gains in a counteroffensive against Russian troops, and Ukraine has appealed for more Western arms.

The European Union signalled its long-term support for Ukraine on Monday as its foreign ministers convened in the capital Kyiv for a historic first gathering outside the bloc's borders.

The meeting comes as disagreements grow among EU members over support for Ukraine and as Kyiv's forces make limited gains in a high-stakes counteroffensive against Russian troops.

"We are convening in a historic meeting of the EU foreign ministers here in Ukraine, candidate country and future member of the EU," the bloc's foreign policy Josep Borrell said in a statement online.

The purpose of the meeting was to "express our solidarity and support to the Ukrainian people", he said, acknowledging that the gathering "does not have the aim of reaching concrete conclusions and decisions".

Ukraine's foreign minister hailed the summit as an important signal of European support for Kyiv.

"For the fist time ever the foreign affairs council is going to sit down outside of its current borders — outside the borders of the European Union — but within future borders of the European Union," Dmytro Kuleba told reporters alongside Borrell.

The EU's 27 nations have remained broadly united through the 19 months of war on their support for Ukraine, hitting Russia with 11 rounds of sanctions and spending billions of euros on arms for Kyiv.