European Council President Antonio Costa met Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal in Tallinn as part of his talks with EU leaders ahead of upcoming European Council meetings.
Costa said the visit came after a trip to Kyiv, describing it as his fifth journey to Ukraine since taking office, the European Council announced on Tuesday night.
He said Estonia had supported Ukraine “from the very first day of the full-scale war.”
He set out what he called an EU strategy to support Ukraine, including using an EU “Support Loan” to bolster Ukraine’s air defence and energy capacity ahead of winter.
Costa also referred to “security guarantees” through a group he called the Coalition of the Willing, and to increasing pressure on Russia to engage in a peace process.
Costa stated that the EU was also moving forward with Ukraine’s “accession path” — the process of joining the bloc.
Focus shifts to the EU’s next long-term budget
Talks in Tallinn also covered preparations for the EU’s next long-term budget for 2028 to 2034, Costa said in the statement.
He described the coming budget decision as a major one for the EU’s future and said the “structure and headings” of the next budget would be “completely different” from previous ones because of new challenges, including those faced by regions along the EU’s eastern border.
Costa emphasised that the budget should invest in defence, security and competitiveness, while maintaining “stable and effective funding” for cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy.
Cohesion policy refers to EU funding intended to reduce regional economic disparities, while the Common Agricultural Policy is the EU’s main system of farm support.
He also said Europe should strengthen “strategic autonomy” and its common defence, and noted Estonia’s commitment to defence.
