EU-Ukraine: summit in Kiev, “beneficial partnership” reaffirmed and extended to air transport, research, innovation and culture

The EU-Ukraine association remains “strong”, and we “reaffirm our continued commitment to strengthening the political association and economic integration of Ukraine with the European Union”. This message comes from Kiev, the venue for the summit this morning between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, accompanied by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and European Council President Charles Michel, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The renewed bilateral agenda is dense and summed up in a 25-point “joint statement”, for a “partnership that is beneficial to you as well as it is to us”, von der Leyen told reporters at a joint press conference with President Zelensky. Steadfast support was expressed to Ukraine for its “independence, its sovereignty and its territorial integrity”, but also for its energy security, undermined by “much lower gas deliveries from Gazprom”. Von der Leyen announced that “different scenarios” are being explored to “secure sufficient supply for Ukraine” and also to increase gas supply capacity coming from Member States of the European Union. Today, the EU-Ukraine cooperation has been strengthened by three new agreements: one on air transport which paves the way for a “Common Aviation Area”; one on Ukraine's participation both in Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme for 2021-2027, and in Euratom, the Research and Training Programme for 2021-2025, with Ukrainian researchers and innovators now able to join these two programmes; and a third agreement on Creative Europe, the programme supporting the cultural and creative sectors, that will now allow Ukrainian cultural and creative organisations to participate in Europe's flagship programme under the same conditions as entities from EU Member States.
Sarah Numico