“There is a new momentum in the peace talks,” Costa said after a meeting in Angola with the leaders of all 27 EU member states to discuss Ukraine on the sidelines of the EU-African Union summit.
“Significant progress was made at yesterday’s meeting in Geneva between the United States, Ukraine, EU institutions, and European representatives,” he said.
However, he also stressed that “issues that directly concern the EU, such as sanctions, enlargement or stablecoins, require the EU’s full participation and decision-making.”
He said the bloc was committed to providing assistance to Kyiv: “Ukraine has chosen Europe and Europe will stand with Ukraine.”
Von der Leyen also said the Geneva talks provided “a solid foundation for moving forward.”
He also named the EU’s core principles regarding the future of Ukraine.
He said, “Ukraine’s territory and sovereignty must be respected; only Ukraine, as a sovereign country, can make decisions regarding its armed forces; the choice of their destiny is in their own hands.”
“I also want to emphasize the central role of Europe in the future of the country,” she said.
But von der Leyen also said she had raised the topic of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia during the invasion at the Luanda meeting.
“Each of them should come home. I’m glad to see that this topic resonated among leaders,” he said.
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