Kiev, 4 November 2023 (dpa/MIA) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid tribute in Kiev on Saturday to the country's 220,000 railroad workers who have kept trains running despite Russia's attacks.

"Ukraine can be so proud of its railway workers. Since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, you have worked tirelessly under such difficult conditions," von der Leyen said on the station platform just after arriving in Kiev by train on Saturday morning.

"You keep the lifeline running," she said.

Air traffic to Ukraine was suspended when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, leaving the railway as a vital link to Ukraine's neighbours, including EU members Poland and Romania as well as to Moldova, which like Ukraine is seeking to join the EU.

"Our railroad is more than just a means of transportation. It is a guarantee that our people, our Ukrainian economy and the state will not be separated from the EU states that support us," the Ukrainian president said.