Burc Eruygur
19 June 2026•Update: 19 June 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday held talks with a number of EU leaders amid a European Council summit in Brussels.
In a statement on the US social media platform X, Zelenskyy said he met with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the two-day summit.
The meeting discussed further steps on Ukraine’s EU accession path and coordinated their positions, Zelenskyy said, adding that it is important to open the remaining five negotiating clusters “in the near future.”
“We also expect to receive the first tranche from the EU financial support package soon in order to strengthen our defense,” Zelenskyy said, further noting that special attention was paid to security cooperation and work with the EU on a drone deal.
Zelenskyy said they also discussed defense support for Ukraine, particularly bolstering air defense and protection against Russian ballistic missiles.
The Ukrainian president later announced separate talks with the prime ministers of Greece, Slovakia, and Poland, during which Ukraine’s European integration was discussed, among other topics.
The two-day summit of the European Council began earlier Thursday, with a working session, working lunch and press conference scheduled to be held on Friday.
