Costa calls Zelenskyy after EU talks, vows pressure on Russia
António Costa, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Ursula von der Leyen (photo: Getty Images)
President of the European Council António Costa, following an online meeting of EU leaders dedicated to the results of the August 18 talks in Washington, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to posts by Costa and Zelenskyy.
"Right after our discussion with the members of the European Council, I had a phone call with President Zelenskyy. I underlined the EU's unity and unwavering support for Ukraine, as well as our commitment to maintaining pressure on Russia," Costa wrote.
He also outlined the EU's priorities: "to stop the killing, advance the exchange of prisoners, and secure the return of the thousands of children abducted by Russia."
The President of the European Council stressed that the EU will work together with the United States "on concrete and essential security guarantees."
"Together with President Zelenskyy and the US, we will prepare the next steps to achieve a just and lasting peace. We must continue to support the Ukrainian people and move forward with the enlargement process. Ukraine's future also lies in the prosperity and stability that EU membership can provide," Costa emphasized.
Zelenskyy also spoke about his conversation with the President of the European Council.
"We discussed with António the results of the European Council meeting and our further joint actions. We value the unity and steadfast support from the European Union. We agreed to continue working closely together," he wrote.
According to the President, he and the head of the European Council also discussed further steps and preparations for the 19th EU sanctions package against Russia.
They separately discussed the importance of unity among all 27 EU member states for Ukraine's path to EU membership and the opening of negotiation clusters.
Talks at the White House
Yesterday, August 18, talks were held at the White House with the participation of US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and a number of European leaders.
During the meeting, security guarantees for Ukraine were discussed. The allies confirmed their readiness to provide them to Kyiv.
Read more about the main outcomes of the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump at the White House in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
In addition, today the Coalition of the Willing gathered to sum up the results of yesterday's talks at the White House. It was led by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
