Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on Friday held a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, with the pair discussing both the ongoing war in Ukraine and the country’s process of accession to the European Union.

Sybiha said the pair had “focused on advancing Ukraine’s EU accession, deepening bilateral cooperation, strengthening defence cooperation, and enhancing Ukraine’s energy resilience”.

“We also exchanged views on joint peace efforts and their coordination throughout the Cypriot EU presidency,” he said, in reference to Cyprus’ undertaking of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency in the first half of this year.

He said he had informed Kombos “about the battlefield situation and the consequences of Russia’s air terror”, and that he is grateful to my colleague for reaffirming that support for Ukraine and efforts to bring an end to the war will be among the key priorities of the Cypriot EU presidency.

“I thanked Cyprus for its assistance already provided and planned. We will continue working together toward our shared goals with unity, strength and a common vision,” he said.

Kombos, meanwhile, said he had been “briefed about the ongoing efforts towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine”, that the Cypriot government remains steadfast in supporting Ukraine, and that its solidarity remains unwavering.

“Ukraine’s EU accession process was also discussed as well as the key priorities of the Cyprus presidency. Ukraine is the top issue on our agenda,” he said.

The discussion on potential Ukrainian accession to the EU comes after President Nikos Christodoulides said at last month’s European Council summit that the EU “must deliver” on the issue of enlargement.

“Enlargement falls within the European Union’s political range and we must do much more. We must succeed,” he said.

Ukraine is one of ten countries which have applied to join the bloc and one of six – alongside Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia – which are currently negotiating candidates.

Outside of those six countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia are candidates which are yet to commence negotiations, with Georgia having suspended its application process. Turkey’s negotiations have been frozen since 2016, while Kosovo, which Cyprus does not recognise, applied to join the EU in 2022 but has not yet been designated a candidate.