Zelenskyy meets EU leaders at Brussels summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with a number of EU leaders on Thursday during a European Council summit in Brussels. In a statement on X, Zelenskyy said he met with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the two‑day summit. The discussions covered further steps on Ukraine’s EU accession path and coordinated positions. Zelenskyy said it is important to open the remaining five negotiating clusters “in the near future.”

Defense and financial support

Zelenskyy said Ukraine expects to receive the first tranche from the EU financial support package soon to strengthen its defense. Special attention was paid to security cooperation and work with the EU on a drone deal. He also discussed defense support, particularly bolstering air defense and protection against Russian ballistic missiles. “We also expect to receive the first tranche from the EU financial support package soon in order to strengthen our defense,” he added.

Bilateral meetings

The Ukrainian president later announced separate talks with the prime ministers of Greece, Slovakia, and Poland, during which Ukraine’s European integration was discussed, among other topics. The two‑day European Council summit began Thursday, with a working session, working lunch, and press conference scheduled for Friday. For Türkiye, which has itself been a candidate country for decades, Zelenskyy’s push for rapid EU accession highlights the bloc’s differentiated enlargement policies. Turkish officials have noted that Ukraine’s accelerated progress contrasts with the stalled nature of Turkey’s own EU membership process.