European Council President Antonio Costa announced an upcoming visit to Kyiv on Feb. 24 alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to show solidarity with Ukraine on the third anniversary of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion.
Costa announced the decision in a social media update on Thursday. He said he would meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky during the visit, calling him the “democratically elected president” – an apparent response to US President Donald Trump’s claim that Zelensky’s an unelected dictator.
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Monday, February 24, marks the third anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I have decided to be in Kyiv for that occasion, with @vonderleyen, to reaffirm our support to the heroic Ukrainian people and to the democratically elected president @ZelenskyyUA.
— António Costa (@eucopresident) February 20, 2025
Earlier the same day, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez announced on X his planned visit to Kyiv on Feb. 24.
The European Council, headed by Costa, provides political direction and helps shape legislation for the EU. The European Commission, headed by von der Leyen, is the executive branch of the EU.
The bloc started membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova in June 2024. The Kremlin, in a recent statement, said it is not opposed to Ukraine joining the EU but is against the country joining NATO.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said during the Munich Security Conference that the EU plans to send a historic €700 billion ($732 billion) aid package to Ukraine but declined to elaborate.
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