Progress on Ukraine's path to the European Union during the presidency of Cyprus and the strengthening of sanctions against the Russian Federation: a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Nikos Christodoulidis took place in Kyiv

"We perceive today's visit as a sign of support for Ukraine, as a sign of our further readiness to work together for the sake of both our states and the whole of Europe," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The President informed about the situation in Ukraine, in particular at the front, the priorities and work of the Ukrainian team in the negotiation process with partners. Nikos Christodoulidis noted the resilience of the Ukrainian people against the criminal invasion of Russia.

He emphasized that the peace agreement should be based on UN principles and full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The leaders discussed in detail the common European agenda and Europe's development of a new global role for itself, which should be truly strong. "Ukraine has given Europe a significant unifying impulse, and this energy works for European strength.

We expect that the European community will be with Ukraine in the way it needs to be in order to achieve peace and guarantee reliable security," the President of Ukraine emphasized. Special attention is paid to supporting Ukraine's membership in the European Union. Our country expects that the presidency of Cyprus in the Council of the European Union in the first half of next year will be historic in terms of the opening of clusters for Ukraine and other necessary decisions.

In addition, they talked about increasing sanctions pressure on Russia. The leaders of the European Union are currently preparing a new package of sanctions, which should include further pressure on the Russian energy sector and other areas of financing the war against Ukraine. Ukraine also counts on support from Cyprus for joint European decisions regarding Russian assets. "Russia must pay for the war it started and continues.