President of European Council meets with Zelenskyy in Uzhhorod
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with European Council President António Costa in Uzhhorod on 5 September. Zelenskyy is also scheduled to hold talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on 5 September.
On 5 September, António Costa arrived in Uzhhorod, where he was met by Mathernová.
"Many important leaders gather in Uzhhorod. It is going to be very busy here today. I am delighted to welcome President of the European Council António Costa in Zakarpatiia," the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarína Mathernová, said on Facebook.
Photo: Facebook page
EU Ambassador to Ukraine noted that she and President Zelenskyy will join national, regional and local leaders at the Congress of Regional Authorities to honour the resilience of Ukrainian communities and work on their recovery and future in the EU.
According to Ukrinform, Zelenskyy has already met with Costa.
"I would like to thank Mr President for being here today to support Ukraine. We know about your busy schedule, but you found this time to support Ukraine. Thank you for coming to this region," Zelenskyy said.
Updated: Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a post in which he reported that his meeting with European Council President António Costa took place in Uzhhorod.
Zelenskyy said that the day before, they had been together in Paris at the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing and had a conversation with US President Donald Trump and other European leaders.
"It feels like now there is a chance to push the situation forward for greater security and greater common results – for Ukraine and the whole of Europe," he noted.
Zelenskyy added that the talks in Uzhhorod focused on key topics: Ukraine’s participation in European programmes, in particular the SAFE programme, further progress towards EU membership, sanctions policy, and support for the resilience of Ukrainians, especially children.
Energy infrastructure will be one of the main issues on the agenda of the meeting between the Slovak prime minister and Zelenskyy in Uzhhorod.
It is worth noting that Robert Fico and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have not held bilateral meetings since the Slovak prime minister returned to office in 2023.
Hungary and Slovakia continue to receive Russian oil, in particular through the Druzhba pipeline, which has recently been attacked by Ukraine. The foreign ministers of Slovakia and Hungary complained to the European Commission about the attacks.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán even decided to write a letter to Trump in connection with Ukraine's attack on the Druzhba pipeline, and the US president allegedly replied that he was angry.
On 4 September, US President Donald Trump told European leaders that Europe should stop buying Russian oil, which, according to him, helps Moscow finance its war against Ukraine.