America News Agency

President of the European Council Antonio Costa said he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara to discuss Ukraine's European Union accession process and global efforts to achieve peace.

Highlighting their meeting at the summit and the latest developments in the accession process, Costa said: "We are making progress on Ukraine's EU membership. A new negotiation cluster should be opened soon."

Assessing the growing diplomatic and military pressure at the international level, Costa said: "Global momentum for achieving peace through strength is increasing: while expanding our financial, energy, and military support for Ukraine, we are also increasing the pressure on Russia to engage in meaningful peace negotiations."

Referring to Russia's position on the battlefield and its attacks on civilian infrastructure, Costa concluded:

"Russia's escalating attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure are proof that it is failing to achieve its objectives on the battlefield. We stand with Ukraine every step of the way."