European Council to consider support for Ukraine, its membership prospects on June 26-27
The heads of state and government of the European Union member states at the meeting of the European Council, which will be held on June 26-27 in Brussels, will, among other things, consider the issue of support for Ukraine and its path to EU membership.
This is stated in the invitation letter to the leaders from European Council President Antonio Costa with a detailed agenda of the Council, which was made public on Thursday in Brussels.
"We will start our meeting on Thursday at 11:00, with our traditional exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament, followed by an exchange of views with President Zelenskyy and a discussion among ourselves about Ukraine. As ever, I will endeavour to keep our meeting limited to one day," he said, outlining the timeframe for the summit. It is not yet known in what format Volodymyr Zelenskyy will participate – in person or via video conference.
Announcing the Ukrainian issue, the President of the European Council stated that Ukraine "has been steadfast in its efforts to enable a real peace process. And the EU will remain equally steadfast in its support to Ukraine." "Our objective remains unchanged – to end Russia's war of aggression and build a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and international law. We will take stock of the fast-evolving diplomatic context, follow up on EU support and address Ukraine's path towards EU membership., President Costa said.
He said that another priority issue on the agenda was defense and security. "Starting with defence and security, the decisions we have taken in our meetings in March are bearing fruit: we are building the Europe of defence. Now we must stay the course and accelerate progress towards Europe’s common defence readiness by 2030. In this regard, I expect us to touch on the ongoing work to build up our capabilities, to strengthen our defence industry and to increase the financing of our defence efforts. Going forward, we must be guided by a collective approach to defence and security, and a focus on efficient spending," Costa detailed, adding that this discussion will take into account the NATO summit to be held the day before.
Other issues on the agenda, the President of the European Council mentioned, are the interaction between the complex international context and the EU's internal economic priorities, such as the deepening of the single market, the EU's place in the world and its competitiveness, and how to further strengthen the international role of the euro.
Also on the agenda will be the situation in the Middle East, with a focus on the difficult situation in Gaza, migration, internal security issues, with a focus on organized crime, support for the Republic of Moldova, and the situation in the Western Balkans.