Ukraine: Council Info and EU Publications

The EU and its member states stand united in their unwavering support for Ukraine and firmly condemn Russia’s war of aggression.
On this page:
- What does the EU say about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
- What measures has the EU taken against Russia?
- How is the EU supporting Ukraine and its people?
- How is the EU responding to the war's market impact?

The Council today decided to add the Wagner Group and RIA FAN to the list of those subject to EU restrictive measures for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Today’s decision completes the ‘Wagner package’ adopted on 25 February and underscores the international dimension and gravity of the group’s activities, as well as its destabilising impact on the countries where it is active.

One year ago, Putin’s Russia started its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. The European Union will continue to support Ukraine in political, economic, humanitarian, financial and military terms.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, met in Kyiv for the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit and issued the following statement.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President, in Kyiv for the 24th summit between the European Union and Ukraine. This is the first EU-Ukraine summit since the start of the Russian aggression, and also since the European Council granted Ukraine the status of candidate country.

Ahead of the summit between the European Union and Ukraine, the Council has adopted assistance measures under the European Peace Facility (EPF) that provide further military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These consist of a seventh package worth €500 million, and a new €45 million assistance measure supporting the training efforts of the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine).

This page gives an overview on the latest meetings, press releases and policies of the Council of the EU and the European Council in relation to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.

During the European Council on 23 June 2022, EU leaders granted EU candidate status to Ukraine. In this context, they invited the European Commission to report to the Council on the fulfilment of the conditions specified in the Commission's opinion on Ukraine's membership application.

On this page you can find answers to the following questions: What sanctions has the EU adopted so far, who is being sanctioned and what individual sanctions mean in practice? What do the restrictive measures against Russian banks and the National Central Bank of Russia mean in practice? What are the sanctions on aviation, road and maritime transport? How is the EU’s trade with Russia being affected by the EU measures and what kind of import and export restrictions are in force? Are EU sanctions compliant with international law and are they coordinated with other partners?

On this page, you will find information about: the impact of the Russian war on markets and on the European Council and Council’s response.

On 10 and 11 March EU leaders adopted a declaration on the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as on bolstering defence capabilities, reducing energy dependencies and building a more robust economic base.

The following timeline gives an overview of the decisions taken by the European Union regarding restrictive measures since the extraordinary meeting of the Council of the EU on 3 March 2014, which condemned the clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by Russia.

The EPF is an off-budget instrument aimed at enhancing the Union's ability to prevent conflicts, build peace and strengthen international security, by enabling the financing of operational actions under the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) that have military or defence implications.

Temporary protection is an emergency mechanism which can be applied in cases of mass influx of persons and which aims to provide an immediate and collective (i.e. without the need for the examination of individual applications) protection to displaced persons who are not in a position to return to their country of origin. The objective is to alleviate pressure on national asylum systems and to allow displaced persons to enjoy harmonised rights across the EU. These rights include residence, access to the labour market and housing, medical assistance, and access to education for children.

The Eastern Partnership aims to reinforce the political association and economic integration of six Eastern European and South Caucasus partner countries, including Ukraine.

The 23rd summit between the European Union and Ukraine took place in Kyiv on 12 October 2021.

A number of unprecedented measures have been taken to support Ukraine.

The EU has adopted sanctions in response to Russia’s unprecedented and unprovoked military attack against Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

The EU has progressively imposed sanctions and restrictive measures against Russia since 2014 in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced millions of people to leave their homes and seek refuge in the EU and neighbouring countries.

Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has led to an influx of millions of people seeking refuge in the EU and neighbouring countries. On 4 March 2022, the EU activated the temporary protection directive.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian exports of grain have been severely disrupted. For over four months, Russian military vessels have been blocking Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

This is a non-exhaustive collection of Think Tanks reports on the invasion of Ukraine, covering the period from February 2022 onwards, which is regularly updated.

Conclusions on Ukraine, enlargement and reforms.

The European Council did address the latest developments in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and continued EU support for Ukraine, including financial, military and humanitarian support. The EU stands firmly with Ukraine and its people, and will continue to strongly support Ukraine for as long as it takes. So far, the EU and its member states have provided over €82 billion to Ukraine.

The European Council reiterates its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter, and recalls the European Union’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression. The European Union will continue to provide strong financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes.

The European Council reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russia's actions and unwavering support for Ukraine and its people.
The European Council held an exchange of views with United Nations Secretary-General Guterres. EU leaders welcomed a resolution by the UN General Assembly on ‘Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine’, which was adopted in February and received broad support from the international community. EU leaders reiterated their support for President Zelenskyy’s peace plan.

On 9 February 2023, the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine, economy, migration, Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, and earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.

The European Council discussed the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in its different dimensions. The European Council reiterates that it firmly stands with Ukraine and that the European Union will continue to provide strong support for Ukraine’s overall economic, military, social and financial resilience, including humanitarian aid.

On 30-31 May 2022, the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine, food security, security and defence, and energy.

The European Council held an exchange of views with the President of the United States on transatlantic cooperation in the context of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

The European Council condemns in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. The European Council reiterates its unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. It calls on all countries not to recognise the two self-proclaimed separatist entities and not to facilitate or in any way assist them.

The Council has approved conclusions on the European security situation, asserting that European security is indivisible and that any challenge to the European security order affects the security of the EU and its member states. In its conclusions, the Council condemns Russia’s continued aggressive actions and threats against Ukraine, and it calls on Russia to de-escalate, abide by international law and engage constructively in dialogue through the established international mechanisms. As stated by the EU heads of state and government at the European Council meeting in December 2021, any further military aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs

The European Council stressed the urgent need for Russia to de-escalate tensions caused by the military build-up along its borders with Ukraine, while reiterating its full support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Council met in an extraordinary session to discuss the latest escalation of violence in Ukraine. It strongly condemned the indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, especially in Mariupol, and the escalation of fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

On 28 February 2022, five days after Russia launched its unprovoked and unjustified aggression, Ukraine submitted its application for EU membership. On 17 June 2022, the Commission issued its opinion and recommended to the Council that Ukraine should be given the perspective to become a member of the EU and that the country be granted candidate status on the understanding that seven steps, mainly in the rule of law area, are taken. On 23 June 2022, the European Council recognised the country’s European perspective and decided to grant Ukraine the status of candidate country. The European Council invited the Commission to report to the Council on the fulfilment of the seven steps as part of its regular enlargement package. This report is the Commission’s first annual enlargement report on Ukraine replacing the previous annual Association Implementation Reports.

Despite Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and its brutal war of aggression, Ukraine has continued to progress on democratic and rule of law reforms. The granting of candidate status for EU accession to Ukraine in June 2022 has further accelerated reform efforts.

The EU stands united in its solidarity with Ukraine and will continue to support Ukraine and its people together with its international partners, including through additional political, financial and humanitarian support. The EU has reacted swiftly and decisively to Russia’s aggression by adopting further restrictive measures in response, that will have massive and severe consequences for Russia.

If you are fleeing the war in Ukraine and coming to the European Union, you will find key information about your rights with regard to crossing the border into an EU country, eligibility for temporary protection and applying for international protection, as well as the rights of travel inside the European Union. Information is also available in Russian and Ukranian.

The Support Group for Ukraine (SGUA) was established by decision of the President of the European Commission in April 2014. The European Commission supports political and economic reforms necessary to consolidate a democratic, independent, united and prosperous Ukraine. SGUA was created as a Task Force to support Ukraine in the implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU (including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area).

Contains audiovisual material on EU solidarity with Ukraine