European Union leaders on 18 June 2026 reaffirmed unwavering support for Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity, while calling for a decisive ramp-up of European defence readiness by 2030, according to conclusions adopted by the European Council. The 27 heads of state or government, meeting in Brussels, held an exchange of views with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and endorsed a comprehensive set of measures covering military aid, sanctions, reconstruction, and security guarantees.
The conclusions welcome the opening of the fundamentals cluster in Ukraine's EU accession negotiations on 15 June 2026 and look forward to further clusters based on merit. Leaders reiterated the EU's readiness to contribute to robust security guarantees for Ukraine, notably through the Coalition of the Willing and in cooperation with the United States, including via the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM Ukraine) and the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM Ukraine), as well as ceasefire monitoring through the EU Satellite Centre.
On defence, the European Council stressed that Europe's defence readiness must be decisively ramped up by 2030, with a 360° approach to address critical capability gaps and reduce strategic dependencies. The conclusions specifically condemn the 29 May 2026 incident in which a Russian drone crashed into a residential building in Romania, calling for accelerated efforts to strengthen protection against such threats, including the 'Eastern Flank Watch' project.
The leaders underlined the importance of further military support to Ukraine, including through the Ukraine Support Loan, and urged accelerated production and delivery of air defence systems, ammunition, drones, and missiles. They also welcomed the recent adoption of the 20th sanctions package targeting Russia's shadow fleet and called for swift adoption of the 21st package, stressing a 'whole of route' approach to curb Russia's energy revenues and constrain its banking system.
On reconstruction, the European Council looked forward to the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk on 25-26 June 2026 and to the first disbursement from the €90 billion loan for 2026 and 2027 before the end of June. Leaders also welcomed the EU's ratification of the convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine and progress on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression.
The conclusions also address hybrid threats, calling for intensified efforts to counter foreign information manipulation and interference, and encourage technical work on potential threats from Russian ex-combatants, without prejudice to Member States' competences. The European Council will revert to the issue at its next meeting.