BRUSSELS – MISSION. OUR Vladimir Zelensky stole the show in informal Summit yesterday in Brussels. During his first visit to the Belgian capital since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the President of Ukraine addressed the European Parliament and took part in a meeting of the European Council, and in the evening he met with the King of Belgium. At a press conference, he gave, together with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel. until the end of the year.

The conclusions of the session stated that European Council “We welcome Ukraine’s determination to fulfill the necessary conditions to start accession negotiations this year.” Ukraine, after a positive conclusion of the Commission, by unanimous decision “27” received in June the status of a candidate country for membership. In the spring, the Commission will brief Member States orally on Kyiv’s progress in fulfilling the preconditions for the start of negotiations before a formal report next October. However, according to Brussels, this process will take several years.

Asked if he had received promises of new military assistance from member states, Zelenskiy said he had received “positive messages” that he hoped would translate into “decisive voices” without fear of being heard by Russia. He added that at bilateral meetings (in groups) with the leaders after the press conference, he would discuss, among other things, the issue of providing fighter jets. Of the talks in Paris with Macron, Soltz said it was a “very strong, important meeting” at which the provision of armored vehicles and tanks was discussed and from which he left a “positive impression.” The conclusions indicate that the European Council says it is “ready to continue to strengthen restrictive measures in close coordination and cooperation with our global partners”, as well as to close passages in circumvention of sanctions. Von der Leyen said at a press conference that the tenth package of sanctions will include new export bans worth 10 billion euros. Speaking at the European Parliament, Zelensky welcomed the fact that Europe is “finally rid of its pernicious dependence” on Russian fossil fuels and “cleansed” of the corrupting influence of Russian oligarch money and the presence of Russian agents. Rapprochement with the EU, he stressed, is for Ukrainians “a return to their home.”

However, regarding yesterday’s meeting of the Ukrainian president in Paris with Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Soltz, Georgia Meloni called the initiative of the French president “inappropriate”. “Giving priority to internal public opinion harms the common goal” of supporting Ukraine, said the Italian Prime Minister, who arrived at the meeting.

In the immigration question, “27” considers measures to prevent illegal arrivals.

State aid

As for Europe’s response to the US green transition subsidy policy, the 27 were expected to agree that state aid approval procedures “should be simplified, accelerated and made more predictable.” As the conclusions add, in doing so, “it is necessary to preserve fairness and competition on an equal footing in the single market.”

Consensus was reached on the issue of immigration, avoiding such difficult issues as forced relocation from the first host countries to other member states. Instead, the conclusions were expected to highlight measures to prevent illegal arrivals, including by putting pressure on countries of origin or transit of migrants. The need to increase the number of returnees whose asylum applications had been rejected was also re-emphasized.

Finally, the 27 leaders sent a letter of condolence to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan over the devastating earthquakes that hit his country and Syria. The letter says that at the initiative of the Swedish Presidency of the European Council, a donor conference will be organized in March in Brussels to support the affected areas.