Ukrainian, EU Council presidents discuss joint work on Kyiv’s European integration

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said he discussed joint work on Kyiv’s European integration with European Council President Antonio Costa in a phone call.

In a statement on the US social media platform X, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Costa for his greetings to Kyiv and the Ukrainian people on the occasion of Europe Day, as well as for the support Europe has provided in the war against Russia.

“We will defend our independence and our people’s right to freely choose their path. And in doing so, we will also defend the right of all European peoples to live as they themselves wish. Russia will not succeed in breaking Europe or fracturing it -- there have been many attempts, but all have failed. And none will succeed,” Zelenskyy said.

Expressing that he and Costa discussed joint work on Ukraine’s further European integration, Zelenskyy said Ukraine will “take its place as a full member of the European Union.”

“We are preparing for the opening of clusters and further decisions,” Zelenskyy said, adding that they also discussed recent steps in diplomacy and their agreement with Russia to carry out a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap mediated by the US.

Europe Day commemorates the Schuman Declaration, named after then-French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, who proposed, on May 9, 1950, the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community aimed at strengthening cooperation and preventing future wars in postwar Europe.

The declaration is widely regarded as the first formal step toward the establishment of the European Union, a 27-member bloc that operates as a single market, uses the euro in 21 countries, and maintains visa cooperation through the Schengen Agreement.