For the first time in two years, the leaders of the European Union countries will adopt, on Thursday 18 June, European Council conclusions agreed by all EU27 on the situation in Ukraine and the political, military, and financial support that the EU has granted the candidate country since it was militarily attacked by Russia in February 2022.
This development is due to the departure of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, replaced by Péter Magyar following the latter’s victory in the April parliamentary elections. It will be M. Magyar's first European Council.
The change of government in Hungary has thus helped to unblock Ukraine’s EU accession process (see EUROPE 13889/29), and indirectly for Moldova as well, after Budapest and Kyiv reached an agreement on respect for the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
At the end of April, Mr Orbán’s outgoing government was already no longer in a position to block the adoption of the EU loan to Ukraine, endowed with €90 billion for 2026 and 2027, nor that of the 20th package of European sanctions targeting Russia.
“We have regained unity among all EU27”, a European diplomat said with satisfaction on Wednesday 17 June.
Thus, in its conclusions, the European Council will welcome the recent progress made in favour of Ukraine and will call for going further, in particular by urging the Council of the EU to adopt the 21st package of sanctions already on the table (see EUROPE 13884/1).
In the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom some European leaders held talks during the G7 Summit in Évian, the EU27 could reflect on how to move forward in Ukraine’s negotiation process with the EU, particularly on the pace of opening negotiation chapters. The idea of appointing an EU Envoy to discuss matters with Russia could also be raised, while, according to Bloomberg, the entourage of European Council President António Costa is said to have held exploratory discussions with the entourage of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As a sign of a development favourable to Kyiv, the European countries and the United States managed, in Évian, to show renewed unity on Ukraine. In their joint statement, they reiterate their “unwavering” support for the candidate country in defending its sovereignty, considering that “a new dynamic has now taken hold” in its war opposing Russia.
In order to accelerate this dynamic, the leaders of the G7 countries agreed to “increase the supply of air defence capabilities (...) as well as long-range capabilities” and said they were “ready to consider granting Ukraine licences allowing it to increase its military production”. Moreover, they will increase their pressure on the Russian war economy by stepping up sanctions, “including in the oil and gas sectors”, helped by an easing of international energy markets following the announcement of an agreement between the United States and Iran.
See the draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/mdt
See the G7 statement: https://aeur.eu/f/mdx (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion with the editorial staff)