Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Cyprus's presidency of the EU Council, which will begin in 2026, could be historic in terms of opening negotiation clusters for Ukraine. Zelenskyy said this during a briefing with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, as reported by UNN.
I want to thank Cyprus for its support at the political level. This applies, in particular, to negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union. We expect that the coming months will bring more progress for Ukraine's path to the EU, and the Cypriot presidency can become historic in terms of opening clusters for Ukraine and other necessary decisions.
He added that EU leaders are currently preparing a new package of sanctions, which, as Ukraine wants, would be truly effective.
This means continuing pressure on the Russian energy sector first and foremost, on everything else that provides Russia with budget revenues, and thus - the ability to prolong this war.
The President emphasized that Ukraine counts on Cyprus's support for common European decisions regarding Russian assets.
It is an absolutely fair principle that Russia must pay for the war it started and continues. The funds needed for defense and for recovery after Russian strikes should rightfully be taken from the amounts that the aggressor himself left in the hands of the free world.
Recall
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides arrived in Ukraine amid preparations for the country's presidency of the EU Council in the first half of next year.