Step by step, EU gets closer to Ukraine

“We are giving the signal that we are not intimidated by Russia. We are motivated and determined because the Ukrainians are fighting to defend their future, their land, and the future of their children. They are also fighting to defend our common values, our common dreams for more peace, more prosperity, and more security”. With these words, the president of the European Council Charles Michel closed the statement for Ukraine new agreements on security, signed on the latest EUCO of June 27th, where also Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined.

About the EUCO agenda

A Council that had a full, ambitious agenda to deal with. Not only about top jobs, but Ukraine was at the core of the main discussion of the latest European Council as well. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the beginning of the Council, in order to sign joint security commitments between the EU and Ukraine and the bilateral security agreements concluded by Ukraine with member states. The leaders called for the stepping up of the delivery of military support for Ukraine and reviewed where further efforts were needed.

“Security agreements with Ukraine are important because they send the message that we intend to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. We want to be operational; we want to be concrete”, continues Michel in his speech.

More than security agreements

Let’s remind ourselves that EU leaders also welcomed the adoption of the negotiation framework for Ukraine, as well as the holding of the first intergovernmental conference on 25 June 2024. The path for becoming a member states has just started, but yet the support for Ukraine arrives in many different ways. Right now, EU is responding to the urgent need of air defence systems, ammunition and missiles. And EU leaders called for the stepping up of the delivery of military support for Ukraine and reviewed where further efforts were needed.

Prime minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reminded the importance of the latest peace summit that took place in Switzerland, and called for another one soon, as there is “no time to waste”. On that, Michel agreed that “it was important to rally the international community, to express our support for the values of the UN Charter, especially the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Ukraine”. For now, another bilateral agreement were signed and, as Zelensky said “is an historical outcome that we waited for a long time”.