Unique EU Foreign Affairs Council begins in Kyiv: What will be discussed?
EU's Chief Diplomat, Josep Borrell and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba (Photo: RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
On October 2, in Kyiv, the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the European Union on Foreign Affairs begins, marking the first-ever gathering of representatives from the foreign ministries of all 27 member states outside the EU.
The EU's Chief Diplomat, Josep Borrell, tweeted on the eve of the event that "Ukraine's future lies within the EU."
"I am convening today the EU Foreign Ministers in Kyiv, for the first ever meeting of all 27 Member States outside the EU," the publication stated.
The foreign ministers of EU countries visit Kyiv for an informal meeting to demonstrate support for Ukraine, which is facing full-scale military aggression from Russia.
According to Borrell, support for Ukraine "doesn’t depend on how the war is going on in the next days and weeks," Euractiv writes.
"Let's see what happens in the United States, but on our part, we will continue to support and increase our support... We must ensure constant and structural support because we are facing an existential threat to Europe," he told reporters.
Topics to be discussed at the EU Council
It is expected that the main issues on the agenda of the October 2 meeting will include:
- Integration of Ukraine into the European Union,
- Demonstration of support,
- Review the results of some important events, such as Western military aid and further strengthening of sanctions against Russia.
On the sidelines of the event, the EU foreign ministers will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"We expect that during the talks in Kyiv, foreign ministers will have a meaningful discussion on security commitments," said an EU representative to journalists.
On the eve of the EU Council's start, a press conference was held by Borrell and Kuleba.
EU's Chief Diplomat, Josep Borrell and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba (Photo: RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
Borrell's visit to Ukraine
On September 30, Borrell arrived in Odesa for an unannounced visit. In particular, he visited the Transfiguration Cathedral, which suffered from Russian rocket shelling.
After that, on October 1, the head of European diplomacy arrived in Kyiv. During his visit, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, and the new Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov. They discussed further military assistance from the EU.
