European Council President labels support for Ukraine and EU accession talks as priorities

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, has stated that supporting Ukraine and opening its accession talks are among the key priorities for the European Union in the near future.

Source: Charles Michel's statements to the media in Vilnius, quoted by LRT; European Pravda

Charles Michel arrived in Lithuania on Tuesday for the second round of consultations on the EU's strategic agenda, with leaders of Lithuania, Czechia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Bulgaria. 

Quote: "We face extremely serious challenges, so I see three priorities. Firstly, we have to build a strong and secure EU... We have to improve the defence capabilities of the EU countries. And we should help Ukraine as much as necessary. We have to mobilise all possible resources – financial, arms support, political support (...), and we have to start accession talks with Ukraine," the European Council President said.

In his comments, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that the top priority should renain the same: supporting Ukraine and bringing Russia to justice.

"This is possible if we are strong and united," he said.

Read more: Kyiv will take the Albanian path to EU membership: details of Ukraine's negotiating framework emerge

Background:

• In their decision of the March summit, the EU leaders called for the early approval of the negotiating framework for Ukraine.
• Reportedly, both the Ukrainian side and Brussels are working to ensure that negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU officially commence no later than the end of June, when Belgium's presidency of the EU Council ends and Hungary's six-month presidency begins. 

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