New European Council president calls for just peace for Ukraine in first speech

The incoming European Council President, Antonio Costa, said this at the handover ceremony with the outgoing President, Charles Michel, in Brussels on Friday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Thirty-three months - one thousand and ten days into Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, we are all yearning for peace. Especially the embattled and heroic Ukrainian people. But peace cannot mean the peace of a graveyard. Peace cannot mean capitulation. Peace must not reward the aggressor. Peace in Ukraine must be just; it must be lasting and it must be based on international law," Costa said.

He noted that this aggression against Ukraine is taking place on European soil, but at stake are the universal principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter: peoples' right to self-determination, nations' right to choose their own future, and respect for territorial integrity and state borders.

"We must write a new chapter of the European Union as a peace project. By becoming stronger, more efficient, more resilient, and yes, more autonomous in security and defense. Always working for a strong transatlantic partnership," Costa added.

He noted that enlargement to the Western Balkans and Eastern neighbors is a powerful tool for peace, security, and prosperity – and a geopolitical imperative. According to Costa, both the European Union and the candidate countries need to work harder and faster – without artificial timelines, but also without undue obstacles.

Photo: European Union