The leaders of the 26 European Union countries on Thursday in Brussels supported a joint statement prepared by the President of the European Council (ER) António Costa, and confirmed the continuation of the support of Ukraine. They also called on Russia to show the true political will to end the war, which began its attack in February 2022. Hungary was against such a formulation of a statementinforms the special newsletter TASR from Brussels.
“The European Council commemorates its previous conclusions and re -confirms the persistent support of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders,” the statement said. According to leaders, the European Union insists on its approach “Peace through Power”, which requires Ukraine to be the strongest possible position as possible thanks to its strong military capacities.
Leaders of the 26 countries of the Union also welcomed a joint statement by Ukraine and the United States after the meeting of their representatives on March 11 in Saudi Arabia, including proposals for an agreement on ceasefire, humanitarian efforts and the restoration of the exchange of intelligence and US security assistance. “The European Council calls on Russia to show the true political will to end the war, ” have been emphasized.
According to them, there should also be an exchange of prisoners of war, the dismissal of civilians and the return of all Ukrainian children and other civilians illegally deported and moved to Russia and Belarus.
“The European Union continues to be ready to increase pressure on Russia, even through other sanctions And by strengthening the enforcement of existing measures, including other means and measures against their circumvention, in order to weaken his ability to continue to guide the aggressive war, “the prime ministers and presidents have agreed.
The ER also recalls the initiatives to increase the military support of the block for Ukraine, especially the plan of the head of European diplomacy Kaje Kallasová for the supply of artillery ammunition worth EUR 5 billion. However, it points out that these initiatives are on a voluntary basis.
“All military support as well as security guarantees for Ukraine will be provided with full respect for the security and defense policy of some Member States And taking into account the security and defensive interests of all Member States, “he says in the document.
According to the statement, the European Union will also intensify the support of the reform efforts of Ukraine on its way to the Union membership. “Er emphasizes the importance of progress in the process of negotiations in accordance with the access based on the merit“says conclusion.
Leaders of 26 countries of the Union joined the joint statement of the President of ER on Ukraine, similar to two weeks ago at an extraordinary summit. According to TASR, the proper format of conclusions was blocked by Hungary again.
Negotiations on Ukraine lasted nearly two hours, spokeswoman ER said. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj also spoke to the leaders. He informed about the latest development on the battlefield, about his interviews with the US administration, and the next steps to the ceasefire and the negotiations on the Peace Agreement.
