Kiev, 1 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged €55 million ($60.1 million) in new aid to Ukraine during his visit to Kiev on Saturday.

The funds are aimed at helping to "finance small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine," Sánchez said during his address to the Ukrainian parliament.

Sánchez arrived in Kiev on Saturday morning - the first day of Madrid's six-month European Union presidency. The goal of his trip, he said, was to convey to Ukraine Europe's continued solidarity with the embattled nation.

The EU will help Ukraine "as long as necessary" and "regardless of the price to be paid," he said.

During his speech to the Verkhovna Rada - the Ukrainian parliament - Sánchez recalled that the EU is a peace project, created after World War II to prevent new wars.

Europe is open to those who aspire to it, he said, supporting Kiev's EU membership aspirations. The speech in parliament was not broadcast live for security reasons.

In recent months, Russia has attacked the Ukrainian capital with drones and missiles - sometimes even when foreign dignitaries were visiting.

Photo: MIA Archive