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New European Council President António Costa and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited Kyiv on Sunday for a show of EU support for Ukraine on their first day in office.
During the highly symbolic visit, the pair plan to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and assure him of the European Union’s support in light of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
“We came to give a clear message that we stand for Ukraine and we continue to give full support for Ukraine,” Costa said. That included humanitarian, financial, military and diplomatic support, he added.
He said one topic, besides the current conflict, would be their “common European future” and the planned integration of Ukraine into the EU.

Costa and Kallas both formally took up office hours earlier, at midnight, along with the new team of commissioners under the second term of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
They replace former European Council president Charles Michel and the bloc’s previous top diplomat Josep Borrell, following EU elections in June.
The visit of the two EU officials comes at an especially difficult time for Ukraine.
In the east of the country, Russian forces have made significant territorial gains. At the same time, it is unclear whether the United States will continue its current level of support after US president-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
If this is not the case, European countries would have to significantly increase their military aid for Ukraine to continue its defensive struggle.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it was crucial for Europe to show Ukraine that it stands by its side. The situation on the battlefield is “very, very grave”, she told reporters.
In view of a scenario in which reduced military aid forces Ukraine into ceasefire talks, Kallas warned sternly against the potential consequences, arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not changed his objectives.
If the message were simply “fine, you take the territories that you have conquered”, that would not just strengthen Russia but also its allies China, North Korea and Iran, Kallas argued.
“So if America is worried about China, it should be worried about Russia,” Kallas said, alluding to the US perception that China is the greatest security threat.

Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister, noted that Russia had not adhered to ceasefire agreements in the years before 2022.
“Of course, everybody wants peace and quiet and do not want the bombs flying. But we really need to support Ukraine so that they would have a strong hand. The stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are behind the negotiation table. I think this is very, very important,” Kallas said.
The cost of supporting Ukraine was significantly less than the cost a victory for Russia would entail, she added.
Kallas named potential Nato membership as the strongest possible security guarantee for Ukraine after a ceasefire.
“If Ukraine decides to draw the line somewhere then how can we secure peace so that Putin doesn’t go any further,” Kallas said. Nato membership certainly had to be discussed, as there were no other clear options.


Zelensky had recently said in an interview that Ukraine could agree to a ceasefire with Russia if Nato extended its protection to cover those parts of the country controlled by Kyiv.
In a ceasefire, Ukraine would need guarantees “that Putin will not come back”, Zelensky told the British TV channel Sky News.
“If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take under the Nato umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control,” he said, according to the English translation.
“We need to do it fast. And then on the [occupied] territory of Ukraine, Ukraine can get them back in a diplomatic way.”
Kyiv had not previously considered this approach because no one in Nato had officially suggested it, Zelensky said.
Moreover, he said that a Nato invitation would still have to extend to all of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. His country did not have the constitutional right to recognise occupied areas as Russian, Zelensky noted.
Costa and Kallas were accompanied on their visit to Kyiv by the new EU enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos. She will be responsible over the coming years for EU membership negotiations with Ukraine and other candidate countries.


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New European Council boss António Costa and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas assured Kyiv of the EU’s ‘full support’


New European Council boss António Costa and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas assured Kyiv of the EU’s ‘full support’.


European Union

Ukraine

War and conflict

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Top EU officials visit Ukraine on first day in office

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}New European Council boss António Costa and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas assured Kyiv of the EU’s ‘full support’

New European Council boss António Costa and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas assured Kyiv of the EU’s ‘full support’