At next week's EU summit, "important discussions" will be held, with Ukraine and security in Europe being one of the priority issues, and the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected, said European Council President António Costa in an invitation to the summit circulated on December 9, calling the main priority of the meeting "ensuring important decisions that need to be made, particularly regarding the financing of Ukraine," UNN writes.
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"We will hold important discussions, focusing primarily on two issues: Ukraine and security on our continent; and the MFF (multiannual budget - ed.) of the European Union for 2028-2034," Costa said.
According to him, the summit will start on Thursday, December 18, at 10:00 local time "with our traditional exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament." "After that, we will hear President Zelenskyy. Then we will continue our work as 27," Costa said.
As ever, I will endeavour to keep our meeting to one day. But my main priority is to deliver on the important decisions that must be taken, namely on Ukraine financing.
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According to him, the European Council meeting will begin with a discussion on Ukraine.
"Recent developments underscore the need for urgent EU action. At the October European Council meeting, we committed to addressing Ukraine's urgent financial needs for 2026-2027, including for its military and defense efforts. At our next meeting, we must decide, based on ongoing preparatory work, how to fulfill this commitment. As of the writing of this letter, diplomatic efforts are underway to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. In this context, we will discuss how best to continue protecting Europe's interests and how to strengthen Ukraine's negotiating position. An important part of this equation must be increased pressure on Russia," Costa emphasized.
According to him, at the summit, EU leaders will also "review the implementation of our previous decisions on European defense and security, aimed at decisively increasing Europe's defense capabilities by 2030." "Recent events show that Russia and Belarus have intensified their hybrid campaign in Europe. This reminds us that we need to accelerate efforts in all areas aimed at our defense capabilities," Costa pointed out.
The President of the European Council also emphasized that "the current geopolitical context underscores the importance of enlargement as the EU's most important geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability, and prosperity." "Through a merit-based approach, reform processes have a profound transformative effect in candidate countries. Given the progress made by some candidate countries on their path to accession, some of them may meet the necessary conditions for joining the European Union in the near future. The December meeting of the European Council will be a timely opportunity for us to discuss further actions," he noted.
Among other topics for discussion, Costa also named the EU's multiannual budget (MFF), the geo-economic situation, the Middle East, and migration.