President of EU Council: Ceasefire agreement will not necessarily mean peace

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, who visited Ukraine on December 1, having just taken office.

“Many wrongly believe that, if a ceasefire agreement is sealed, the peace will come automatically,” Costa said, commenting on his statement that peace in Ukraine should be based on international law and should not reward the aggressor.

The head of the European Council emphasized that “we are always to support Ukraine, to stand for Ukraine, in the financial dimension, political dimension, diplomatic dimension, and military dimension.” “And it is only up to Ukraine to determine when and how peace is possible,” he emphasized.

He reiterated his support for Ukraine’s aspirations for a “just and lasting” peace.

“And only Ukraine has the capacity to define what “just” peace is to make sure that this peace lasts,” Costa emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said during a briefing following a meeting with President of the European Council Antonio Costa that Ukraine would never legally recognize the occupied territories as Russian.

On December 1, President of the European Council Antonio Costa, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit. The visit was made on the first day of their mandate in these positions.