President of the European Council António Costa greets President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska in Kyiv, August 24, 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)
European Council President António Costa said Ukraine’s future membership in the European Union is the best guarantee of security and long-term democratic stability for both Ukrainians and Europeans on Aug. 24.
“Ukraine’s future in the European Union is the best guarantee of security and long-term democratic stability, for Ukraine and for Europe as a whole. Our goal is to integrate Ukraine into the European Union’s peace project: a union of nations that have overcome nationalism, that uphold democracy and the rule of law, and that work together for shared prosperity and development,” Costa said Aug. 24 at a ceremony in Kyiv marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
He said “accession is a demanding process,” adding that the challenges “must not block our political determination,” which is based on geopolitical necessity and the free, democratic choice of the Ukrainian people.
The European Council president added that Ukraine has already helped “build a new, truly geopolitical European Union that takes responsibility for its defense, strengthens its strategic autonomy, firmly upholds international law and multilateralism, builds partnerships in a changing world and welcomes new member states.”
He said the bloc is “ready to welcome Ukraine into the EU.”
Costa stressed that “international law must prevail, and Russia will not win,” adding that after “more than four years of full-scale war, Russia has not achieved its objectives.”
The European Council president said the EU’s unprecedented sanctions “are also having an impact” and pledged that the bloc would continue increasing pressure until Russia stops killing and demonstrates a genuine commitment to peace.
“We are not neutral; we stand with Ukraine. We support all serious initiatives aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine. But ultimately, it is Ukraine, and Ukraine alone, that must determine the terms of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. That peace must uphold Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. And it must guarantee Ukraine’s long-term security and its ability to defend itself,” Costa said.
He also recalled that on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Council met to “mobilize European support for Ukraine.”
“European solidarity has remained strong and unwavering ever since. We have always stood with you in providing political, financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support, as well as in jointly building the Coalition of the Willing, which will provide you with robust security guarantees after this terrible war ends so that this can never happen again. We will continue to provide as much support as necessary, for as long as necessary, during the war, in future peace negotiations and throughout reconstruction. Because our vision extends beyond the war,” the European Council president said.
Costa concluded his speech with the words of Ukrainian poet Lesia Ukrainka: “Whoever liberates themselves will be free.”
Costa arrived in Kyiv on Aug. 24 to attend events marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
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