European Council President Charles Michel says that stepping up support for Ukraine, including military assistance, is a top priority for the EU’s next political cycle.
Michel, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and leaders from four other EU member states met in Vilnius on Tuesday to discuss the EU’s priorities after June’s European Parliament elections.
The European Council president described the EU’s decisions to grant candidate status to Ukraine and approve a financial aid package for the war-ravaged country as historic.
“But this is not enough. We need to do more, including military support for Ukraine,” he said.
Michel warned that “we are facing incredible difficulties and challenges” and emphasised that supporting Ukraine and beefing up European defence are among the top priority areas.
The official also highlighted the need to keep strengthening Europe’s economy and promoting democratic principles.
“We’ll never give up. We’ll never divert from democratic principles. This is the core of this European project,” he said.
Lithuanian President Nausėda underlined the importance of continued support for Ukraine and holding Russia accountable for its crimes.
The Lithuanian president called for the use of frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine’s economy.
“This is the most important challenge for all of us: we stay united, we continue to support Ukraine and stay strong as a global force,” he said.
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