The President of the European Council, António Costa, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, and the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, travelled to Kyiv on Sunday 1 December, the first day of their respective terms, to reaffirm the EU’s support for Ukraine.
“Our presence (...) demonstrates the European Union’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people and their courageous struggle for a just and lasting peace”, stressed Mr Costa, pointing out that this support will last as long as necessary, whatever the cost.
“We were, we are and we will be at Ukraine’s side”, promised the new President of the European Council, who invited the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, to the European Summit on 19 December in Brussels. “You can count on us to continue to support you. These are not just words. We will continue to provide humanitarian, economic, diplomatic, military and energy assistance”, he promised.
The President of the European Council also denounced “Russia’s reckless and deliberate attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and energy systems”, describing them as “inhumane”. Mr Costa also warned that a nuclear threat from Russia was unacceptable. According to Mr Zelensky, in one month, Russia launched 347 missiles – of various types, including ballistic missiles – at his country.
On the X network, Kaja Kallas stressed that the EU wanted Ukraine to win the war. “We will do whatever it takes to achieve that”, she promised. “We must do everything we can to stop the war, to weaken Russia, to strengthen Ukraine by supplying it with more weapons, ammunition and the necessary training for its soldiers. But diplomatic and political support is also needed”, she added to the Ukrainian President.
Continued European support. Mr Costa recalled that in December, the EU will provide a further €4.2 billion to support the Ukrainian budget. “In addition, from next month, we plan to provide €1.5 billion in aid every month for a whole year. This money comes from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets and can also be used for military purposes”, he added.
For his part, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, once again called on the Europeans to step up their military support, particularly in terms of air defence. “It is important to increase arms purchases from Ukrainian manufacturers, particularly using the income from frozen Russian assets. Most of the funds from the second tranche of this income from the European contribution – at least €1 billion – will be devoted to supporting the Ukrainian defence industry”, he stressed.
The President of the European Council stated that the EU was preparing a 15th package of sanctions against Russia. In Mr Zelensky’s view, the new sanctions should focus on “the phantom fleet of Russian tankers”. “The tanker fleet provides (Vladimir) Putin with the greatest share of the revenue he needs to wage war”, he explained. Mr Costa also highlighted the fight against the circumvention of sanctions.
Finally, Mr Costa said he was “looking forward” to welcoming Ukraine as an EU Member State. “Your progress so far has been impressive. Ukrainians are writing a new manual on how to undertake far-reaching reforms while fighting a war for national survival”, he said to Mr Zelensky. He announced that the EU and Ukraine would work towards opening at least two ‘clusters’ of accession negotiation chapters in the first half of 2025.
“You have defined a new level of what is possible in an impossible period”, confirmed Ms Kos, adding that other enlargement countries were now following Ukraine’s lead.
The situation in Ukraine discussed once again at NATO. On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the NATO countries will meet in Brussels to discuss, among other things, allied support for Ukraine, at a time when the future of American support is uncertain due to Donald Trump’s imminent return to power. They will meet for dinner at the NATO-Ukraine Council, in the presence of the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Andrii Sybiha. The Council met on 26 November, at ambassadorial level, to discuss the security situation in Ukraine following Russia’s firing of an intermediate-range experimental ballistic missile.
Speaking to the press with Mr Costa, Mr Zelensky once again stressed the importance for his country of receiving an invitation to join the Alliance. This issue is due to be discussed by the Allies on Tuesday, but no decision is expected. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)