Zelenskyj attends European summit in Granada President Volodymyr Zelenskyj of Ukraine announced that he is taking part in the top meeting of the newly established European Political Community (EPG) in Spain. “I have arrived in Granada,” Zelensky announced on Platform X on Thursday, emphasizing the main goal of the summit: “to ensure security and stability in our common European home.”
Ukrainian focus on Black Sea region
Regarding Ukraine, Zelensky emphasized that significant proposals for the new security architecture in Europe are on the table. Kiev’s focus will be particularly on the Black Sea region as well as on security in the areas of food supplies and shipping, said the 45-year-old president.
The context in which Kiev’s proposals should be viewed is Russia’s continued naval blockade of Ukrainian ports. Since the roughly year-long agreement to transport Ukrainian grain expired in July, Moscow has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian Black Sea ports. The government of Ukraine also describes the shelling as an attack on the international food supply, which particularly affects poorer countries.
Meeting with numerous heads of state
Heads of state and government from around 50 countries are invited to the third summit meeting of the new European Political Community in Granada. With this format, introduced by President Emmanuel Macron of France, EU states are seeking to deepen their cooperation with other European nations.
The talks in Granada will probably be dominated by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and its consequences. From an EU perspective, the meeting should once again send an unmistakable signal to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin that his country is almost completely isolated in Europe.
Critical support for Ukraine
But the discussions could be overshadowed by signs of crumbling support for Ukraine. In the USA, financial aid for Kiev is in limbo due to domestic budget conflicts. Within the EU, Russia-friendly Hungary is hindering aid to Ukraine. Furthermore, after the elections in Slovakia, the winner Robert Fico could follow a path similar to that of Viktor Orban in Hungary. Fico declared before the elections that he would like to end arms aid, which is unpopular among the population, and would only help Ukraine with civilian goods if he came to power.
Zelenskyj also personally attended the EPG summit in Moldova at the beginning of June and was most recently present at the UN General Assembly in New York. Germany will be represented at the summit by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The only major European states that are not part of the EPG are Russia and its ally Belarus.
