President of the European Council Antonio Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, arrived at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday afternoon for a joint meeting on Ukraine with President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides, in the context of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.
President Zelensky arrived first, followed a few minutes later by von der Leyen and then Costa, who were welcomed by the President of the Republic on the steps of the Presidential Palace. Afterwards, all four exited the Presidential Palace for a commemorative photo.
Shortly before their joint meeting, President Christodoulides said that today is an important day and that Cyprus is ready to deliver and work together during its six-month Presidency for an autonomous EU, open to the world.
«I am very glad to have Ursula, Antonio, Volodimir in Cyprus in this very very important day for Cyprus. As I very often publicly say, the accession to the EU was the most important development in Cyprus since 1960 and we are very proud to have the Presidency of the Council. We will do our utmost, we are ready to deliver and to work together with the Commission, the EU Parliament in order to have an autonomous EU open to the world.» President Christodoulides said.
Moreover, the President will have a bilateral meeting with the President of the European Council to coordinate work on the European priorities of the semester, within the framework of the role of the Council Presidency in ensuring the cohesion of the Union in the face of international challenges and strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy, security and resilience.
The President of the Republic will also meet the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun focusing on stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, regional developments and the strengthening of EU and Southern Neighborhood cooperation channels.
Later in the day, heads of European institutions, leaders and representatives of states and governments as well as representatives of other organisations and bodies will attend the opening ceremony of the Cyprus EU Presidency at the Cyprus Theatre Organization building in Nicosia.
The ceremony will be attended by the President of the European Council Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Court of Auditors Tony Murphy, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Moldova Maia Sandu, the President of Iraq Abdul Latif Rashid, the President of Lebanon General Joseph Aoun, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, will be represented at a ministerial level.
President Nikos Christodoulides will host an official dinner for the heads of the 14 official delegations, at the Leventis Gallery in Nicosia.
Cyprus, an EU member since 2004, assumed the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the second time, on January 1st, 2026.