During his visit to the United States, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
"I want to thank you personally, the European Union, the European Commission, the Council of Europe for supporting Ukraine, our independence, for the non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also thanked the European Union for participating in the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform and for the unanimous support of the EU member states for the summit declaration.
The President of Ukraine informed Ursula von der Leyen about the deteriorating situation in Crimea, in particular in view of another wave of illegal politically motivated arrests.
The Head of State raised the issue of assistance in the release of almost 450 Ukrainians detained in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the President of the European Commission coordinated their positions in the context of preparations for the 23rd Ukraine-EU Summit scheduled for October 12 this year in Kyiv. The President stressed that the recognition of the European perspective and further integration of Ukraine's economy into the EU internal market are among the key priorities of our state.
Ursula von der Leyen noted the particular courage of the Ukrainian people in the struggle for independence and democracy.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked his interlocutor for the recent decision of the European Commission to allocate the second tranche of EU macro-financial assistance in the amount of 600 million euros.
The President of the European Commission noted the significant progress that Ukraine has made on the path of reforms.
During the meeting, special attention was paid to energy security issues in Europe. The President stressed that the Nord Stream 2 project is first and foremost a security challenge for the European region.
The President noted that Ukraine is ready to hold official consultations on the Nord Stream 2 in the near future, as well as other issues related to Russia's monopolization of the European gas market.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen discussed the results of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which took place in Kyiv, as well as the issue of joining the summit declaration.
