President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of the European Council António Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to coordinate efforts between the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance.
“For us, the most important thing is the unity of NATO countries, of all of Europe and the European Union. This opens the path to strengthening Ukraine, providing us with strong support to help all our people. Thank you for the air defense, the additional military packages, and for standing firmly with us,” said the Head of State.
Mark Rutte expressed confidence that future support for Ukraine will be ensured and will be closely linked to NATO Member States’ defense spending.
The President noted that Ukraine also counts on active cooperation with EU Member States within the framework of the new SAFE (Security Action for Europe) defense instrument, which envisages up to EUR 150 billion in funding for the development of Europe’s defense industry.
The meeting also included detailed discussions on Ukraine’s EU accession talks. Ukraine expects the leaders of EU Member States to reach consensus on the opening of the first negotiation cluster, “Fundamentals.”
“I very much welcome the recent European Commission assessment of your remarkable reform efforts under such difficult conditions. Without doubt, we have met the conditions for moving forward with the EU accession process,” noted António Costa.
The parties also discussed in detail additional sanctions against the Russian Federation and the preparation of the EU’s 18th sanctions package, which should increase pressure on Russia’s energy and banking sectors, as well as its shadow fleet, and lower the price cap on Russian oil to USD 30.
“We must pressure President Putin into sitting down at the negotiating table and engaging in serious talks on a just and lasting peace. That is why the 18th sanctions package will be tough and impactful,” added Ursula von der Leyen.
