Strasbourg, France. European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna said on Wednesday that this week’s European Council summit is expected to send a strong message of unity and determination in support of Ukraine. Speaking at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, she said EU leaders would review the situation on the ground and ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Support for Ukraine on summit agenda
Raouna said the European Council would hear first from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the situation in Ukraine and the latest developments. She said the leaders of the European Union’s 27 member states are expected to discuss Russia’s continued escalation and diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war, which has been ongoing for almost four and a half years.
She said recent developments show both Ukraine’s resilience and growing pressure on Russia’s war effort, reinforcing the need for the European Union to remain steadfast in its support for Ukraine and united in maintaining pressure on Russia.
Zelenskiy to attend Brussels summit
Zelenskiy will be in Brussels alongside the leaders of the EU’s 27 member states. He had already travelled to France earlier this week to attend the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains.
European Council President Antonio Costa said in his invitation letter to the summit that Ukraine remains high on the agenda. He said Ukraine has demonstrated renewed success on the battlefield while Russia is failing to achieve its military and strategic objectives.
Costa said Russia’s increasingly reckless and irresponsible behaviour towards EU member states is unacceptable. He said the EU’s two-pronged approach of supporting Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia is working.
Drone incidents and defence readiness
Costa’s remarks referred in part to recent incidents involving EU member states, including two Russian drones that fell in Romania in recent weeks. Raouna also referred to those incidents in her address.
She said recent months have seen repeated drone incursions in EU airspace, including two serious incidents in Romania. She said these developments underscore the urgency of advancing Europe’s defence readiness agenda and strengthening the bloc’s collective capacity to address emerging threats.
EU accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova
Raouna also referred to the opening of negotiations on Monday for Ukraine and neighbouring Moldova to accede to the European Union. She said EU leaders are expected to welcome that development.
