(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Ukraine should remain a“key priority” for the EU countries this year, and member states must firmly and decisively support Kyiv toward achieving a just and lasting peace.

This was stated by the President of the European Council, António Costa, who spoke at the official opening of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in Warsaw on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

As Costa noted, the motto of the Polish Presidency is“Security, Europe!”, and therefore it is necessary to strengthen security to guarantee peace in Europe.

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“Therefore, Ukraine must remain our top priority. This year we must continue to stand with Ukraine – as much as necessary, for as long as it takes, to win a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. International law must prevail, for the freedom of the Ukrainian people and for our common security,” Costa said.

He added that in this regard, the EU should focus on defense capabilities, making them one of the strategic priorities for the EU.

According to the European Council President, Europe should focus on its own resilience and autonomy, using joint investments for this purpose, as well as creativity and pragmatism, to find new solutions.

Read also: Ukraine's EU membership could boost EU economy – Costa

Costa also stressed the need to build a strong Transatlantic partnership and cooperation between the EU and NATO.

He noted that to this end, an informal meeting of European leaders will be held in early February, which will be dedicated to defense capabilities. The NATO Secretary General and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom will join the meeting.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Poland has taken over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU from Hungary.

Read also: Zelensky on negotiations with EU: Main topics include energy protection, weapons production

The motto of the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU is "Security, Europe!", the logo is the Polish flag against the background of the abbreviation of the EU in English (EU), and the main priority is security in seven dimensions (external, internal, information, economic, energy, food, and health).

President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Poland on the start of the presidency of the Council of the European Union and expressed hope that the Polish presidency will make Europe stronger.

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