European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen strongly support Ukraine on its path to membership in the European Union, the leaders said during a press conference following the European Council meeting in Brussels
Costa stressed that Ukraine's security is inseparable from the security of all of Europe. The head of the European Council added that the EU's goal is to achieve a just and lasting peace by supporting Ukrainian reforms and creating the prerequisites for Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
"Despite incredibly challenging circumstances, the Ukrainian government is implementing reforms at an impressive pace. So now is the time to step up our work and move forward on the path to joining the European Union," - he said.
Instead, von der Leyen noted Ukraine's determination on the path of reforms, despite constant Russian shelling. Therefore, the European Commission supports the opening of the first cluster of accession negotiations.
"Ukraine has fulfilled its task - now we must act too. After all, the accession process is based on merit. And Ukraine deserves to move forward," — she added.
Von der Leyen emphasized that the accession process is based on merit, and Ukraine, in turn, deserves to move forward.
She also declared her strong support for Ukraine in both military and political directions.
In particular, the head of the European Commission stated that the European Union has already allocated 1 billion euros to support the Ukrainian defense industry - using the proceeds from frozen Russian assets. She also said that the EU is ready to provide Ukraine with the remaining 11 billion euros from the G7 credit package in advance, taking into account the need for these funds.
"We are on track to achieve the goal of transferring 2 million artillery shells to Ukraine in 2025. And we are ready to provide the remaining 11 billion euros from the G7 loans in advance, because we understand how important it is for Ukraine to receive these funds now," Ursula von der Leyen noted.
In the political dimension, she said, the EU will continue to pressure Russia to force it into serious dialogue, starting with a real ceasefire. To this end, the 18th sanctions package is already being prepared, which is planned to be agreed upon in the near future.
