Zelenskyy on Cyprus’s EU Council presidency: Expecting strong decisions for Ukraine
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (facebook.com/zelenskyy.official)
On January 1, 2026, Cyprus began its presidency of the Council of the European Union. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of Ukraine among the main priorities during Cyprus’s presidency, according to Zelenskyy’s statement on Telegram.
He spoke about a phone conversation with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, whom he congratulated on the start of his country’s presidency of the EU Council.
"We are counting on strong decisions that will strengthen Ukraine and all of Europe over the next six months. It is important that Ukraine remains among the main priorities during Cyprus’s presidency," the president’s statement read.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s membership in the European Union is one of the guarantees of the country’s security. He added that Kyiv, for its part, "always does everything necessary."
In early December, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a joint press conference with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, announced that in the first half of 2026, Cyprus would take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union, replacing Denmark.
According to the Ukrainian leader, this presidency could become significant in the context of opening negotiation clusters for Ukraine.
On December 31, Cypriot Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos stated that during its EU Council presidency, his country would bring a "new approach" both to Ukraine’s accession negotiations and to other key issues, primarily defense and migration.
In addition, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides also promised that supporting Ukraine would be one of the key priorities of Cyprus’s EU Council presidency, which began on January 1.
