On Monday, May 11, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha participated in the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, attended by foreign ministers of EU member states.
Andrii Sybiha briefed his colleagues on developments on the battlefield, cited examples of the shifting dynamics in Ukraine's favour, and stressed that Ukraine is holding its ground and, through a strategic long-range strike campaign, is bringing the war back to where it came from — Russian territory.
Addressing his partners, Andrii Sybiha outlined three key priorities. The first — the time has come to strengthen Europe's role in peace efforts. To that end, Europe must speak with one voice. Not instead of the United States' track, which remains the mainstream one, but as its complement.
The Minister called for increased pressure on Russia, including the introduction of entry bans for Russian combatants, stronger sanctions against the energy sector and the shadow grain fleet. He emphasised the importance of accountability, including through the Special Tribunal, the International Compensation Commission, Russia's isolation, and the full use of frozen Russian assets.
The Foreign Minister stressed that the second priority is European security in the new geopolitical context. Only Ukraine has an effective multi-layered defence system against massive drone attacks. Ukraine is ready to scale up this experience and conclude a Drone Deal with the EU.
"We have learned our lessons. True strength requires diversification, domestic production, autonomy, speed and feedback," the Minister remarked, calling on European partners to work together towards achieving strategic independence in the field of air defence.
Andrii Sybiha underscored that Ukraine's Drone Deal with the EU, as well as broader defence cooperation, will become a cornerstone of the new European security architecture. At the same time, it is critically important to continue implementing the PURL initiative, as well as the SAFE and EDIP programmes.
Commenting on the recent drone incidents in the airspace of the Baltic states and Finland, the Minister stated that they were a result of Russian electronic warfare systems that deliberately diverted the drones from their targets. The Minister stressed Ukraine's readiness to deploy expert teams to assist in protecting airspace.
The third key priority named by the Foreign Minister: advancing the EU accession of Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans countries, and opening the negotiation clusters for Ukraine as swiftly as possible.
Andrii Sybiha emphasised that Ukraine's membership will strengthen the European Union not only in the areas of defence and resilience, but also in the economy, energy security, renewable energy, digitalisation, logistics and many other sectors. He recalled Ukraine's aspiration to open the first negotiation cluster as early as May 26, and five others before the end of the Cypriot EU Presidency, as well as Ukraine's desire to sign an EU accession agreement in 2027.
The Minister stressed that Ukraine has already fulfilled a significant part of the required steps and will continue implementing reforms in the areas of the judiciary and anti-corruption, as well as transposing EU norms in labour legislation, education, science, energy, agriculture and many other sectors.
"The political will is there, and our parliament is ready to act swiftly. But we also need reciprocity and steps from the EU side. It is very important to send a signal to the Ukrainian people that the accession process is moving forward," the Minister emphasised.
The Foreign Minister also reiterated Ukraine's gratitude for the unblocking of €90 billion and the 20th sanctions package against Russia, which are of great importance for Ukrainian resistance and resilience, and for the security of all of Europe.
"Now is the time for action. Action for peace, for a new strength of Europe, and for resolving longstanding challenges. Ukraine is ready to be part of solving the most pressing issues. Every year we find new common goals and increasingly understand how much we need each other," the Foreign Minister remarked.