Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that his country is ready to open all negotiation clusters with the European Union under Denmark’s presidency of the Council of the EU, calling for a resolution to Hungary’s veto, which is hampering Ukraine's progress towards membership in the bloc.
Zelenskyy made the remarks following a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome.
“I thanked them for the new support package worth over €2 billion ($2.3 billion). The creation of the European Flagship Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine is also important. It will help attract more investment into Ukraine,” he said.
He added that Ukraine’s European integration remains a top priority and underlined that “a solution must be found to overcome Hungary’s veto.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has expressed strong opposition to Ukraine's potential accession to the EU, warning that integrating a country at war would pose a serious threat to the bloc's stability.
Zelenskyy also held separate bilateral meetings with the leaders of Germany, Finland, Poland and Bulgaria.
Following his talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Berlin’s military support, especially in air defence systems.
“I informed Friedrich about the latest Russian attacks and spoke about our interceptor drones, which are already shooting down dozens of ‘Shaheds’ in a single attack,” he said on X.
He welcomed Germany’s readiness to help scale up drone production and emphasised its influential role in supporting Ukraine’s EU accession path.
“Germany is precisely the country that has the clout and authority to help unblock our path to the EU,” he said.
Zelenskyy also met with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and thanked him for Finland’s consistent support and the strong presence of Finnish companies at the recovery forum.
He stressed the urgency of boosting Ukraine’s drone production and joint ventures to counter Russian-Iranian drone attacks.
In his talks with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Zelenskyy said they agreed to deepen cooperation in the energy sector, particularly on energy security.
He also thanked Bulgaria for supporting Ukraine’s EU path and participation in the “Coalition of the Willing.”
Zelenskyy additionally met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and thanked him for Poland’s defence assistance, participation in the conference, and joining the European Flagship Fund.
He said Ukraine is interested in cooperating with Poland within the SAFE programme and joint weapons manufacturing efforts.
He also emphasised the importance of Poland as a “key logistical and transit hub for international assistance.”
Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy joined a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, which included 32 representatives of states, governments and organisations.
For the first time, US officials such as General Keith Kellogg and Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal participated.
“It is important that the format of the Coalition of the Willing is working – working for long-term security and for protection against Russian strikes right now,” Zelenskyy said.
