'Our support to Ukraine will endure,' says EU chief

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday the bloc would extend special protections granted to Ukrainian citizens who fled Russia's war, restating the bloc's long-term dedication to support Kyiv.

"Our support to Ukraine will endure," the European Commission president said in her annual policy speech to the European Parliament.

Lawmakers gave a standing ovation as von der Leyen recounted the fate of Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian writer and activist who perished in Russia's war against Ukraine after delivering her son to safety in Prague, an EU capital.