The leaders of Germany, Italy, Romania and France met Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of support, which Kiev hopes will be followed by increased arms deliveries and tougher action in helping the war with Russia.

The European leaders' visit to Kiev came ahead of next week's EU leaders' summit in Brussels, as well as a NATO summit in Madrid on 29-30 June.

In the first such visit to the Ukrainian capital since the Russian invasion began, the leaders of France (Emmanuel Macron), Germany (Olaf Scholz), Italy (Mario Draghi) and Romania (Klaus Iohannis) welcomed Zelenskyy, who has not left Ukraine since the war began.

The meeting took place after the four European leaders visited destroyed buildings and broken cars in the nearby town of Irpen, where heavy fighting was taking place at the beginning of the invasion.

The trip is meant "to draw attention to possible war crimes committed by Russian troops", which Scholz called "unimaginable brutality" and "senseless violence."

"This is a heroic city marked by the stigma of barbarism," Macron told reporters.