New European Council President convenes first summit: Zelenskyy invited
European Council President António Costa (Photo: Getty Images)
The leaders of EU member states will gather on December 19 for the first summit since the new leadership of European institutions took office. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to participate, European Council President António Costa pointed out in an invitation letter to EU leaders.
Costa convened this summit, his first since taking office as President of the European Council at the beginning of December. According to Costa, the situation in Ukraine will be the main focus of discussions.
“I have just returned from a visit to Kyiv on the first day of my mandate. We need to stand with Ukraine for as long as necessary and do whatever it takes for Russia’s invasion to be defeated and international law to prevail,” said the new European Council president.
Costa emphasized that the December summit is an important opportunity to send a unified and unequivocal message of support for Ukraine, aiming for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.
He added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to the December 19 summit to share the latest developments and his perspective on how Europe can best support Ukraine.
According to Costa, the summit will also focus on the EU’s global position and assess the results of Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union.
A day before the summit, on December 18, an EU-Western Balkans summit will also take place.
New EU leadership
It’s worth noting that this summer, elections for the European Parliament were held across EU member states. The European Parliament plays a representative, legislative, oversight, and consultative role within the EU.
Ursula von der Leyen was reappointed President of the European Commission for a second five-year term, and former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa was elected President of the European Council.
In late November, the European Parliament approved the new composition of the European Commission. One of the top positions, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, was assigned to former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
The new European Commission began its work on December 1. On their first day, representatives of the European Commission and the President of the European Council visited Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
