President Metsola’s remarks at the European Council 18th December 2025, Brussels

Thank you, António.

The European Union is, by its very nature, a project for peace, and every genuine effort to spread peace should always – always – be welcomed. We’ve made real progress over the past weeks to end the war in Ukraine. This is the closest we’ve been to securing a peace deal, and we need to maintain the momentum.

At this critical moment, it remains strategically important that we keep placing our full weight behind Ukraine. We know, from experience, that for peace to be real and lasting, it must come with dignity, justice and freedom. That means strong security guarantees and respect for the principle of ‘Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’. Those are the premise of any credible deal.

We cannot afford to show any signs of fragility or division. Russia needs to feel the pressure to come to the negotiating table – and it needs to see that it is impossible to drive a wedge…