The European Council is meeting again today for the second part of its work which will end with a Eurogroup meeting. The first day, yesterday, was intense. It opened with an exchange of views with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and an address by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined by video link, calling once again on the EU to provide full military support. Zelenskyy also called for tougher sanctions against Russia. He then stated he wanted to hold an international summit to discuss the peace plan he proposed. The European Council, the Summit Conclusions read, “reiterates its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter, and recalls the European Union’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression”.
The European Council “reiterates its support for President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula. The European Union will continue to work with Ukraine on the ten-point peace plan”. Russia, on the other hand, “must stop its aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces and proxies from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”. The Council “condemns in the strongest terms sexual and gender-based violence. Russia must immediately ensure the safe return of Ukrainians forcibly transferred or deported to Russia, in particular children”.