In Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the European Council meeting.
The Head of State thanked them for their support and assistance and emphasized that it is important to open the remaining five negotiating clusters for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union in the near future. The parties exchanged views on the timeline for the next steps and coordinated their positions.
The President noted that our country expects to receive the first tranche from the EU financial support package soon, so that it can strengthen its defense.
The leaders discussed in detail security cooperation and work with the European Union on an agreement in the Drone Deal format. The Head of State emphasized that the agreement could cover the procurement of Ukrainian defense products, air defense, counter-drone capabilities, unmanned maritime systems, and other priority areas of security.
They also discussed defense support for Ukraine and meeting current needs to strengthen air defense and protect people from Russian ballistic missiles.
