(Brussels) “Dear Volodymyr, as a future member of the European Union, I am very glad to have you here among our colleagues”. This was said by Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, as we welcomed Ukraine’s President Zelensky on opening the day. The 27-member summit is taking place, as usual, in a heavily guarded Brussels. Many are the items on the agenda, including the “urgent matters” of Ukraine and the Middle East. “First of all, in spite of the great expectations created by President Trump’s initiatives, it is clear that today, unfortunately, these initiatives do not match the goodwill of President Putin”, Costa himself pointed out to the press. “Russia is increasing the strikes, is increasing the strikes against civilians, against civilian facilities, which means that we need to continue supporting Ukraine’s fight for a just and lasting peace”. “Today, in the morning – he then added – we approved already the 19^th package of sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet, as well as its banking and energy sectors. And today, at this European Council, we will take the political decision to ensure the financial needs of Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, including for the acquisition of military equipment”. “We have said repeatedly that we will support Ukraine for as long as necessary and whatever it takes. And now, we have concretised this”.