Cyprus pledges to make support for Ukraine a priority of its Council of EU presidency

Khrystyna Bondarieva - 21 December, 14:40

Stock Photo: Getty Images

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has promised that his country will make support for Ukraine a priority of its presidency of the Council of the EU, which begins on 1 January.

Source: Christodoulides while presenting the priorities of Cyprus's presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2026.

Details: Christodoulides stressed that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has clearly demonstrated the need to strengthen Europe's security architecture, the European Union's defence readiness and its ability to protect its citizens and interests.

Quote: "Over the next six months, support for Ukraine will remain a priority for the Cypriot presidency. Of course, it could not be otherwise, given that we, Cyprus, the Republic of Cyprus, have first-hand experience of what invasion means, what occupation means, and what violations of fundamental principles and rights mean."

Details: Christodoulides added that the Cypriot presidency will promote the swift implementation of the White Paper on the future of European defence and the accompanying roadmap to achieve EU defence readiness by 2030.

"We will act with realism and ambition. We are fully convinced that Europe can and must respond to the challenges of our time," he said.

The presidency of the Council of the EU rotates among member states every six months. Cyprus will take over from Denmark on 1 January 2026.

The presiding country organises and chairs Council meetings (except the Foreign Affairs Council), sets the agenda and priorities for the six-month term and conducts negotiations between EU member states.

Background:

Christodoulides pledged support for Ukraine on its path to the EU during Cyprus's presidency during his visit to Kyiv on 4 December.
Zelenskyy expects that Cyprus' presidency of the Council of the EU in the coming half-year will become "historic" in terms of opening the clusters for Ukraine's accession to the EU.
Earlier, Zelenskyy expressed hope that Ukraine could open and close all six negotiating clusters for EU membership over the next year.

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