On March 31, within the framework of the informal away meeting of the EU Council on Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Perebyinis held a number of bilateral meetings with the Secretary General of the European External Action Service Belén Martínez Carbonell and her Deputy for Political Affairs – Political Director of the EEAS Olof Skoog, the State Secretary of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Foreign and Global Affairs Diego Martínez Belio, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece Haris Theocharis, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jiří Brodský.
During the meeting with EEAS Belén Martínez Carbonell and Olof Skoog, the Deputy Minister expressed his gratitude for the EU’s assistance in the energy sector and comprehensive support for Ukraine, as well as his hope for the unblocking of EU financial assistance to Ukraine, the approval of the 20th sanctions package, and the acceleration of Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Yevhen Perebiynis stressed the critical importance of the EU’s involvement in the peace process and providing security guarantees to Ukraine. The parties also discussed the situation in the Middle East and the results of the recent visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to the Gulf countries, as well as the possibilities of defense cooperation in this region.
During the meeting with the State Secretary of the Spanish Foreign Ministry Diego Martínez Belio, the Deputy Minister thanked Spain for its comprehensive support and solidarity with Ukraine, in particular energy assistance to Ukrainians during this most difficult winter. The parties also discussed the results of the recent working visit of the President of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Spain and agreed on priority areas of cooperation, including within multilateral formats. The Deputy Minister informed the Spanish side about the progress of the peace talks and stressed the critical importance of increasing sanctions pressure on the aggressor country.
With his Greek counterpart Haris Theoharis, Yevhen Perebyinis discussed ways to further develop Ukrainian-Greek relations, in particular in the defense and energy sectors. Particular attention was paid to the reconstruction of Ukraine and the practical participation of Greece in the projects for the restoration of the Odessa region. Yevhen Perebyinis also expressed gratitude for Greece's recent accession to the Coalition of Civil Protection Shelters for Ukraine. The parties confirmed their intentions to continue cooperation on issues of increasing pressure on the Russian Federation and combating the "shadow fleet".
During the meeting with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jiří Brodský, the Deputy Minister thanked the Czech side for the comprehensive assistance and noted the success and importance for Ukraine of the Czech initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine, as well as its participation in the Coalition of Shelters and conducting training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The parties discussed ways to strengthen the defense capabilities of our state in the context of the ongoing aggression of the Russian Federation.
In addition, Deputy Minister Yevhen Perebyinis drew the attention of his colleagues to the importance of ensuring high-level participation in the event dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster and the International Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine (URC 2026).