Brussels, 8 May 2023 (dpa/MIA) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is to travel to Kiev on Tuesday where she is to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, her spokesman announced on Monday.

Von der Leyen's fifth visit since Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022 comes at a symbolic date for Europe.

The European Union celebrates on May 9 the lasting peace between its members that followed the end of World War II in 1945, while Russia marks its victory over Nazi Germany with an annual military parade.

Against the backdrop of Russia's war on Ukraine in its second year, the commission president is to "reaffirm the EU's unwavering support towards the country," the spokesman said in Brussels.

Ukraine was named an official candidate country for EU membership last year and is awaiting an assessment by the commission on whether its reform efforts were sufficient to start formal accession talks.

Brussels has provided military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine worth €67 billion ($75 billion) so far, with work being underway on a new set of economic sanctions on Russia.

The bloc is also planning to further restrict its exports, according to EU sources, in a bid to tackle the circumvention of the existing sanctions on Russia by exporting goods via other countries which do not have punitive trade measures on Moscow in place.

Kazakhstan, Armenia and the United Arab Emirates have been named as countries through which sanctions against Russia are circumvented. Turkey has recently responded relatively determined to indications of sanctions evasion, EU sources said.

The bloc could first create the legal possibility to restrict exports to countries that are suspected of circumventing sanctions as a deterrent. If this should prove insufficient, certain exports could then be prohibited in a second step.

According to EU sources, goods that can be used both for civilian and military purposes could be particularly affected, including night-vision devices used by hunters and security companies but also by soldiers.

In addition seven Chinese companies could also be targeted, the Financial Times reported, including businesses active in the field of semiconductors and microelectronics.

China warned the EU on Monday of potential punitive measures against its companies.

The EU's existing list of individuals and organisations targeted with travel bans and potential asset freezes is to be extended too.

EU ambassadors in Brussels are to discuss the proposal on Wednesday with the aim to agree on the eleventh sanctions package before the end of the month.

Photo: MIA archive