Zelenskyy Announced New EU Measures for Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a conversation with European Council President António Costa. They discussed further financial assistance for Ukraine, preparations for winter, negotiations on EU accession, and future contacts with the U.S. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine expects new decisions on support from its European partners.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked António Costa for the European Union’s stance on Russian strikes against Ukraine. According to the president, 78 people have been killed in recent days alone as a result of attacks on Pryluky, Kramatorsk, Kyiv, and other Ukrainian cities. Another 215 people were wounded. Zelenskyy called these strikes yet another Russian escalation and stressed that international partners must respond to what is happening in Ukraine. “This is a severe Russian escalation—terror against people and life. And it is important that leaders do not ignore what is happening,” the president said.
Separately, Zelenskyy thanked Koshta for financial support. The day before, Ukraine received a tranche of 1.2 billion euros from the EU. According to the president, these funds are planned to be allocated, in particular, to defense needs, as well as the procurement and production of drones. The president noted that Ukraine continues to work with European partners to secure other necessary decisions. This involves not only funding but also assistance in preparing for winter and Ukraine’s further integration into the European Union.
One of the topics of discussion was the timeline for opening the next negotiation chapters regarding Ukraine’s accession to the EU. Ukraine has already completed a significant portion of the preparatory work, but the opening of new chapters remains one of the key issues in its relations with Brussels. This is important for Kyiv, as negotiations on EU accession consist of separate thematic blocks. The opening of new clusters signifies a transition to the next stages of the negotiation process. Therefore, Ukraine is keen to ensure that this process does not stall.
Another important topic has been preparations for the winter. Russia continues to attack energy facilities and civilian infrastructure, so Ukraine, together with its partners, is seeking additional solutions to help get through the heating season. This involves energy support and preparing the system for possible new attacks. For Ukraine, this is particularly important as cold weather approaches, when the load on the power grid traditionally increases. Kyiv expects its European partners to continue providing the necessary resources and funding.
During their conversation, Zelenskyy and Costa also agreed on a future trilateral meeting. Zelenskyy, António Costa, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to participate. The meeting is planned for the near future. It is expected that during the meeting, the parties will discuss further support for Ukraine and the decisions needed regarding European integration. For Kyiv, key issues remain funding, energy, defense aid, and progress in EU accession negotiations.
Zelenskyy also briefed Costa on Ukraine’s contacts with the United States. According to the president, meetings and negotiations with U.S. officials are scheduled to take place in the coming days. The Ukrainian negotiating team has already departed for the U.S. Kyiv plans to discuss further support and other issues currently important to Ukraine with American representatives. “We appreciate Europe’s support,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
The European Union remains one of Ukraine’s main financial partners. Specifically, on October 2, the European Commission announced another tranche under the Ukraine Facility program. The amount totaled 2.9 billion euros. Following this disbursement, the total amount of funds Ukraine has received under the Ukraine Facility program exceeded 32 billion euros. These funds are part of the European Union’s large-scale financial support for Ukraine.
During his conversation with Koshta, Zelenskyy effectively outlined several key areas in which Kyiv is awaiting further decisions from the EU. These include financial and defense support, assistance ahead of winter, the opening of new negotiation clusters regarding EU accession, and coordination with European partners ahead of talks with the U.S. This is according to a statement by the Ukrainian leader.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, visited Pryluky in the Chernihiv region, where a Russian missile had struck a five-story building the day before.
