UA
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DEThe European Union reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Ukraine’s political association and economic integration with the EU and its unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
This is underscored in the joint statement following the 23rd Ukraine–EU Summit.
The Summit participants acknowledged the European aspirations of Ukraine and welcomed its European choice, as stated in the Association Agreement.
“The EU remains Ukraine’s closest friend. Today’s Ukraine–EU Summit in Kyiv with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen deepens our partnership,” said European Council President Charles Michel.
The European Union also took note of the decision to disburse its second tranche in the amount of EUR 600 million.
“We welcomed the fulfilment of the conditions of the extraordinary EU Macro-Financial Assistance Program for Ukraine and took note of the decision to disburse its second tranche in the amount of EUR 600 million. We underline the importance of continuing to pursue the related reforms. We reaffirmed the emphasis on maintaining Ukraine’s macro-economic stability, and keeping the IMF commitments on track,” reads the statement.
Following the Summit, several agreements were signed, including on the common aviation area.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
The signing ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Ambassador of Slovenia (representing Slovenian EU Council presidency) Tomaž Mencin, and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell.
In addition, during the Summit, the agreement on participation in the Horizon Europe framework programme and the agreement on Ukraine’s participation in the Creative Europe programme for 2021-2027 were signed.
Moreover, during the Summit, the European Union called on Russia to admit responsibility as a party to the conflict in Ukraine. The corresponding statement was made by Ursula von der Leyen.
“We sent our staff to the southeast of Ukraine to see with their own eyes the needs of the conflict-affected community, to see what help and investment are needed,” she added.
The EU would fund school buses for children living on the contact line.
At the same time, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine and the EU shared the view that the responsibility for the lack of progress in the peaceful settlement in Donbas rested with Russia, which is undoubtedly a party to the conflict. The Head of State thanked for the imposition of sanctions on the Kremlin, noting it was time to expand the sanctions policy.
“All those who took part in the organisation and conduct of the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the occupied Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, and the temporarily occupied territories in Donbas must be put on the sanctions lists. Systemic human rights violations in Crimea must not be ignored,” he added.
Ursula von der Leyen also assured Kyiv of the EU’s support for Ukraine’s energy security. In particular, the issue of gas reverse flows from Slovakia and the possibility of common storage of gas in the Ukrainian gas storage facilities are being considered.
Bohdan Marusyak
