Despite the fact that the current EU summit would have focused mostly on the economic competitiveness of the union and the war in Ukraine, instead it was known before the summit that the heads of state and government of the member states would devote most of their time to the issue of migration.

On October 17, the heads of state and government of the member states met in Brussels at the EU summit to, in addition to listening to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's victory plan, discuss and reach an agreement on the economic competitiveness of the union, migration, and, among other things, the situation in the Middle East.

The summit was previously planned for two more days due to the many topics and distant positions regarding migration, but the leaders of the member states arrived at the EU summit having already reduced it to one day. With an early morning start compared to the summits, even after a long day, the leaders of the member states managed to agree on all the issues, or if they were left without a concrete solution, the decision was postponed until later.

The EU continues to support Ukraine

The current meeting was planned even earlier so that the EU's economic competitiveness and the issue of Ukraine would be the focus of it, but migration has become the most pressing issue for several member states, which is clearly shown by the fact that while Ukraine was heard and discussed with Zelenskiy, already at lunchtime the heads of state and government discussed the Middle East.

The conclusion that closes the summit does not even deal with Zelensky's victory plan,

the reception of which, according to the Ukrainian president, was positive, while Viktor Orbán wrote on his social media page that the plan was terrifying.

the conclusion, instead, they merely repeated the EU's previous position on several issues: for example, they continue to support Ukraine, condemn Russian aggression and Russia's crimes against prisoners of war, and that future peace can only be based on Volodymyr Zelensky's peace formula and international law, and cannot be achieved without Kiev can decide on the issue.

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Featured image: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a press conference at the summit of heads of state and government of the EU member states in Brussels on October 17, 2024. MTI/Boglárka Boglárka