Macron, Scholz and Draghi back Ukraine’s bid to join EU during trip to Kyiv

Volodymyr Zelensky, left, and Emmanuel Macron shake hands at the end of a press conference in Kyiv (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

The leaders of four European Union nations visited Ukraine on Thursday, vowing to back Kyiv’s bid to become an official candidate to join the bloc in a high-profile show of support for the country fending off a Russian invasion.

French President Emmanuel Macron also promised Ukraine six more powerful truck-mounted artillery guns, the latest in a new round of Western arms pledges for Ukraine as the war grinds on in the eastern Donbas region.