President Nikos Christodoulides pledged that Cyprus will keep Ukraine’s European perspective on the EU agenda during its 2026 Council presidency, telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Cyprus “stands on the right side of history”.
Speaking in Kyiv after talks on Thursday, Christodoulides said Cyprus, which knows firsthand what invasion, missing persons, refugees and violation of basic human rights mean, stands beside Ukraine “with consistency, credibility and clear political will”.
“Today I am here to repeat once more publicly that Cyprus, which knows firsthand what invasion means, what missing persons mean, what refugees mean, what violation of basic human rights means, stands beside Ukraine, stands on the right side of history and will continue to do so with consistency, credibility and clear political will,” he said.
The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and Cyprus’s upcoming EU Council presidency, which begins in 26 days. Christodoulides said it is their common will to deepen and broaden cooperation, taking advantage of the large Ukrainian community in Cyprus. Around 25,000 Ukrainian refugees have been hosted in Cyprus since the Russian invasion, a significant proportion given Cyprus’s population.
The presidents had what Christodoulides described as a frank and substantive discussion on the situation resulting from the ongoing Russian invasion and its serious consequences, and exchanged views on international efforts to achieve a peace agreement.
Christodoulides underlined Cyprus’s clear position, which reflects that of the EU, that any peace effort or agreement must be based on the principles of the UN Charter and absolute respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He stressed that peace efforts must be promoted with the active participation of Ukraine itself and the active participation and contribution of the EU.
“Ukraine’s security is directly linked to the security of the European Union,” he said.
Christodoulides said the EU has proven in practice that it stands beside Ukraine, noting the importance of European sanctions. However, he said the sanctions would be far more effective if there were not states behaving as deliberately neutral. “We must confront those states that repeatedly exploit the tragedy the Ukrainian people are going through to promote their own interests,” he said.
Christodoulides also briefed Zelenskyy on developments in the Cyprus problem and efforts to restart talks. “The Cypriot people and the Ukrainian people have common experiences and unfortunately we know very well what military invasion and military occupation mean,” he said.
“Because of these common experiences, I assure you, dear President, that the Republic of Cyprus and the Cypriot people fully understand and sympathise with the ordeals the Ukrainian people are experiencing. Our voice joins with yours, without any exception, without any ambiguity, for absolute respect for the principles of international law, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of all states,” he added.
On EU enlargement, Christodoulides said he firmly believes it is not simply a political choice for the EU but primarily a geopolitical necessity. During Cyprus’s presidency, he said, they will promote the EU enlargement process, strengthening collective security and democratic resilience.
“For Ukraine specifically, we will do what is necessary to maintain and strengthen the country’s European perspective on the EU agenda, repeating, strengthening this dynamic,” he said.
Zelenskyy thanked Cyprus for its support regarding Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations and expressed hope that Cyprus’s EU Council presidency “can be a historic moment on this issue”.
The Ukrainian president also thanked Cyprus for supporting decisions on Russia paying for Ukraine’s defence and recovery, and raised the issue of thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Russia and taught to hate Ukraine.