Cyprus to make support for Ukraine a priority of its EU Council presidency
Photo: Nikos Christodoulides (GettyImages)
Support for Ukraine will be one of the key priorities of Cyprus's EU Council presidency, which begins on January 1, according to a tweet from Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
According to Christodoulides, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has clearly demonstrated the need to strengthen Europe's security architecture, the EU's defense readiness, and its ability to protect its citizens and interests.
"In the next six months, support for Ukraine will remain a priority for the Cypriot presidency. Of course, it could not have been otherwise, taken into account, that we, the Republic of Cyprus, have firsthand knowledge of what invasion means, what occupation means, what it means when fundamental principles and rights are violated," he emphasized.
Christodoulides also promised that the Cypriot presidency would promote the swift implementation of the "white paper" on the future of European defense and the realization of the EU's roadmap for achieving defense readiness by 2030.
He stressed that the European Union must act decisively and ambitiously to effectively respond to modern security challenges.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a joint press conference with Christodoulides, noted that Cyprus will take over the EU Council presidency in the first half of 2026, replacing Denmark. He added that this presidency could be significant in the context of opening negotiation clusters for Ukraine.
Nikos Christodoulides arrived in Ukraine on an official visit on the morning of December 4. In Kyiv, he was welcomed by Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis and Ukraine's ambassador to Cyprus, Serhiy Nizhynskyi.
During the visit, the sides planned to discuss a range of bilateral cooperation issues. In particular, Cyprus expressed interest in developing defense cooperation with Ukraine, including the procurement of drones and exploring the use of artificial intelligence.
