Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives at the European Political Community Summit in Granada, Spain, on Thursday.Credit: Marcelo Del Pozo/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Spain on Thursday to attend a European summit aimed at strengthening cooperation across the continent. He was concerned about waning support for his country, which faces another winter of Russian aggression.
The Ukrainian leader’s trip to the southern Spanish city of Granada came a day after President Biden expressed concern that recent political unrest in Congress could disrupt the flow of U.S. aid to Ukraine.
“I think it’s too late for us to worry. I think we have to work on it,” Mr. Zelensky told reporters at the summit when asked if he was worried about a possible cut in U.S. military aid.
He said he was confident the United States would continue to support Ukraine’s war effort, noting that meetings with Mr. Biden and with members of Congress last month had been positive.
Mr Zelenskyy said earlier that the “common goal” of those gathered in Granada was “to ensure the security and stability of our common European home”.
“We will pay special attention to the Black Sea region as well as our joint efforts to strengthen global food security and freedom of navigation,” he said wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Ukraine’s main priority, especially given the approaching winter, is strengthening air defense.”
EU leaders are expected to discuss long-term financial aid for Ukraine at a summit planned in Brussels later this month – but the issue could also come up at the meeting in Spain, diplomats said.
On Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Granada that Ukraine needed “predictability and reliability” in direct budget support.
“I am very confident that the United States will support Ukraine,” she said. “What the United States is working on is timing.”
Thursday’s meeting in Grenada comes amid concerns about possible cracks in Europe’s united front on Ukraine as governments reckon with the economic and political costs of long-term support for Kiev.
It is only the third meeting of the European Political Community, a pan-continental gathering of leaders from nearly 50 countries that was formed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. It is larger than the 27-nation European Union, with countries like Ukraine and Moldova impatient with the long process of securing EU membership. It is not a decision-making body, but rather a forum for the exchange of views between managers.
Last year at the summit, Mr. Zelensky pushed for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and NATO.
The European Union opened a path to membership for Ukraine last year. But accession is a long and arduous process that typically takes several years, even for nations not at war. The EU is expected to decide in December whether to start negotiations with Ukraine. This is the next step in the process, which would require the unanimous support of all 27 Member States.
— Monika Pronczuk and Constant Méheut
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