Statement by President von der Leyen with Presidents Zelenskyy and Costa ahead of the European Council meeting of 16 October

Good morning. It is a very important moment again to have you here in the European Council. You have participated in countless European Councils, and this shows the closeness that we have and how intensively we are working together on the path towards the European Union.

Indeed, you have been able to open two more clusters. And I also want to extend my thanks to the Rada, the Ukrainian Parliament, for working so hard to deliver the reforms that are necessary to open the clusters. Our goal is to open the final two clusters towards the end of the year.

Of course, we will speak about winterization, so how to support Ukraine in the upcoming winter. Russia is trying everything to destroy the energy and water infrastructure, but we stand by your side. We will support you as we did it in the other winters. We will overcome.

Of course, we supported President Trump's energy ceasefire, but we have seen that Russia did not respect it, not a single minute. Instead, Russia escalated and therefore we have to increase the pressure on Russia. We are working now on the 22^nd sanctions package. And one thing is absolutely clear: We will not lift any sanctions unless Russia stops the war.

And finally, we will discuss the financial and budgetary military needs you have not only for 2026, but also for next year, 2027. So, a packed agenda and again, a very warm welcome here.