KYIV: Ukraine and the European Union will hold a summit in Kyiv on February 3 to discuss financial and military support, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said, but the bloc Tuesday would not confirm the location.
Zelensky discussed details of the high-level meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in his first phone call of the year, the office said in a statement Monday.
“The parties discussed expected results of the next Ukraine-EU summit to be held on February 3 in Kyiv and agreed to intensify preparatory work,” it said.
A spokesman for European Council President Charles Michel, however, could not confirm on Tuesday that the joint summit would take place in the Ukrainian capital.
He said the bloc would be represented at the summit by Michel and von der Leyen, and not with the various leaders of EU countries.
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EU officials said there was a standing invitation for Zelensky to visit Brussels.
Zelensky and von der Leyen, in their call, also talked about the supply of “appropriate” weapons.
And they discussed a new 18 billion euro ($19 billion) financial assistance programme to Ukraine, with the Ukrainian leader pushing for the first tranche to be sent this month, the statement said.
Last month, the EU cleared the way to giving Ukraine the aid in a so-called “megadeal” that included the adoption of a minimum 15 percent global corporate tax rate.
The move followed an impassioned plea from Zelensky not to let internal disputes within the 27-nation bloc stand in the way of backing Kyiv.
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