European Council sends strong message on continuing support for Ukraine

The European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday 17 October focused on Ukraine and the Middle East. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the meeting and told the Council about the situation in Ukraine and his Peace Formula.

The European Council condemned Russia’s war of aggression and reaffirmed its broad support for Ukraine. The EU Member States are prepared to introduce further sanctions on Russia by imposing import tariffs on Russian and Belarusian agricultural products. The leaders of the EU Member States also consider it important to step up military support and to safeguard Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. They called for swift finalisation of the European Peace Facility and an agreement on the use of immobilised Russian assets so that Ukraine can receive the EUR 45 billion in funds promised to it by the end of the year. The EU leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s reconstruction.
 
“The EU leaders sent a strong message that support for Ukraine will continue for as long as necessary. Supporting Ukraine also strengthens the security of the EU Member States. Russia must be held accountable for its actions and must pay as high a price as possible for the war,” said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.
 
The leaders of the EU Member States also drew attention to Russia’s intensifying campaign of hybrid activities targeting the European Union and its Member States. The EU Member States will continue to strengthen their resilience and capacity to respond to these attacks.

The European Council adopted strong common conclusions on migration. The EU leaders strictly condemned the instrumentalisation of migration by Russia, Belarus or any other country and expressed solidarity with the Member States targeted by it.

“The EU recognises that efforts by the Member States to combat instrumentalised migration are necessary and that exceptional situations call for appropriate action. Finland has made progress on its objective of finding solutions to the problem at the EU level,” said Prime Minister Orpo. 

The European Council also expressed its concern at the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The EU leaders called on all parties to refrain from violence and abide by international law. The European Council condemned Israel’s attacks against peacekeepers belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
 
The leaders also briefly discussed ways to improve the EU’s competitiveness. They will continue their discussion on the topic at their informal meeting in November based on a report by Mario Draghi.
 
In connection with the European Council, Prime Minister Orpo had a bilateral meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
 
Inquiries: Tuomas Tikkanen, Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister in European Affairs, tel. +358 40 523 5768; Elisa Tarkiainen, Special Adviser (EU Affairs), tel. +358 50 433 4533 and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office