European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was in Kyiv on Thursday for her first visit to Ukraine since the war-torn country became a candidate for bloc membership, angering Moscow.

Their trip coincides with a hailed meeting between leaders of Russia and China in former Soviet Uzbekistan for a regional summit that Moscow and Beijing said offers an alternative to the West’s global influence.

It also comes as Ukrainian forces have consolidated their gains against Russian forces in the east of the country in a dramatic offensive backed by Western weapons.

Von der Leyen said Thursday’s visit was her third visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, but this visit was different.

“So much has changed. Ukraine is now an EU candidate,” she said on social media.

“I will be speaking with (President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and (Prime Minister) Denys Shmygal on how we can bring our economies and people closer together as Ukraine moves towards accession,” she said.

Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in June at the same time as former Soviet Moldova, which borders Ukraine and like its neighbor has stationed Russian troops in a breakaway region to the east.

The historic vote angered Moscow, which has sought to retain political and military clout in both countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago.

EU countries have staunchly supported Ukraine since Moscow invaded in February, hitting Russia with waves of economic sanctions.

And many members of the bloc have been providing Kyiv with advanced weapons that have helped Ukrainian forces retake parts of the territory from Russia in recent weeks.

Von der Leyen said just before her trip that successive waves of EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine would continue and that Europeans must remain firm in their dealings with Moscow.

“I want to be very clear that sanctions are here to stay,” she said during her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament.

The Kremlin claims Russia survived the economic sanctions and Moscow has responded by reducing or cutting off gas supplies to European countries.

With winter fast approaching, this has forced the EU to source alternative supplies, agree to plans to reduce consumption and provide financial support as prices skyrocket.

However, Ukraine and its allies have been buoyed by gains in the eastern region of Kharkiv, which borders Russia, in recent days and Zelenskyy promised an overall Ukrainian victory as he visited the crucial center of Izyum, which was recaptured this week.

Ukrainian forces have also made slower but steady advances in the southern Kherson region near the Black Sea.

Ukraine’s presidency said Thursday that intense fighting is ongoing on this southern front and that the military situation there “remains extremely difficult”.

In the eastern Donetsk region, partially controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014, renewed shelling killed two civilians and wounded 13 others.

Ukraine, ahead of the counter-offensive, launched a mandatory action to evacuate civilians from the eastern industrial region, where its armed forces have also announced gains, but many civilians remain.

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping is an opportunity for both to turn their noses up at the West, particularly the United States, which has led the charge in imposing sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.

Beijing did not explicitly condone the invasion of Moscow, it has steadily developed economic and strategic ties with Russia throughout the six months of the war, and Xi has pledged his counterpart his support for Russia’s “sovereignty and security.”