Von der Leyen and Borrell visited a mass grave and lit candles in a church for the victims. They were accompanied by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal.
The visibly upset von der Leyen made no secret of the fact that she considers the Russian army responsible for the massacre. “We have seen the brutal face of Putin’s army. Here in Butja, humanity has been shattered. The whole world mourns with the people of Boetsja.”
The Commission president and Borrell also visited the capital Kiev, where a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky was scheduled. They traveled by train from the Polish-Ukrainian border to Kiev, together with the Prime Minister of Slovakia Eduard Heger.
Tomorrow, the European Commission and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are organizing an international donor conference for Ukraine in the Polish capital Warsaw.