New European Council President António Costa and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited Kyiv on Sunday for a show of EU support for Ukraine on their first day in office.
During the highly symbolic visit, the pair plan to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and assure him of the European Union’s support in light of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
“We came to give a clear message that we stand for Ukraine and we continue to give full support for Ukraine,” Costa said. That included humanitarian, financial, military and diplomatic support, he added.
He said one topic, besides the current conflict, would be their “common European future” and the planned integration of Ukraine into the EU.
Costa and Kallas both formally took up office hours earlier, at midnight, along with the new team of commissioners under the second term of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.