European Council president will begin tour of EU capitals: support for Ukraine on agenda

European Council President António Costa will begin a tour of European Union capitals on Tuesday 25 August to discuss urgent issues concerning the EU's future and support for Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda

Details: A senior EU official familiar with plans for discussions at the highest level told European Pravda that the talks will cover the full range of "Ukrainian issues", including the opening of negotiating clusters and the provision of interceptor missiles for Ukrainian air defence systems.

Quote: "The main topics identified for discussion during the European tour are security and defence, Ukraine, EU enlargement, competitiveness, migration, current international issues, including the Middle East, and, of course, the EU's long-term budget [the Multiannual Financial Framework] for 2028-2034".

Details: Another important topic is preparations for the next summit of EU leaders, which will take place in Brussels on 15-16 October.

Regarding Ukraine, according to the European official, Costa's tour will include discussions on the broad range of issues that EU leaders usually raise at European Council meetings.

"This includes the prospects for accession negotiations and the opening of clusters, Ukraine's defence needs, enlargement – essentially the full range of issues you find in the European Council conclusions. Missile defence will also be discussed in particular," the person stressed.

The source also recalled that the European Council meeting on 15-16 October aims to hold a "strategic discussion" on the EU's future enlargement.

The person outlined the European Council president's itinerary for the current week: 25 August – Slovakia, Estonia; 26 August – Lithuania, Latvia; 27 August – Czechia.

According to the EU official, Costa will visit 26 EU member-state capitals, except Sweden: the Swedish authorities requested that no official meetings be held before the elections scheduled for late September 2026.

Background:

• On 24 August, Costa arrived in Kyiv together with heads of state and government of the UK, Estonia, Luxembourg and Moldova to mark Ukraine's Independence Day.
• In Kyiv, Costa once again stressed that the EU is willing to accept Ukraine as a full member, as this would provide the best guarantee of security and long-term democratic stability for Europe.

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