Zelensky arrives in Spain for European Political Community Summit
President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Granada, Spain, to take part in the European Political Community Summit, the president announced on Oct. 5.
"We are working together with partners on enhancing the European security architecture, particularly regional security. Ukraine has substantial proposals in this regard," Zelensky wrote on the social platform X.
"We will pay special attention to the Black Sea region as well as our joint efforts to strengthen global food security and freedom of navigation."
The president added that Kyiv's key priority in the upcoming talks is to strengthen Ukrainian air defense capabilities ahead of the upcoming winter.
The third European Political Community Summit gathers around 50 heads of state and government from across the continent to address common security issues and foster political dialogue.
The meeting follows previous summits held in Bulboaca, Moldova, this year's June and in Prague, Czechia, last October.
As in Moldova, the Granada summit will address the Russian invasion of Ukraine and "re-establish (European) unity vis-a-vis Russia's aggression against Ukraine," said a press release by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The representatives of the participating nations will discuss possible reforms of international institutions in reaction to the ongoing full-scale war in Ukraine.
The summit was also meant to bring together leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia for peace talks following Baku's recent military offensive in Nagornko-Karabakh.
The Karabakh region, which is recognized as Azerbaijani under international law but was home to a predominantly Armenian population, surrendered on Sept. 20 after 24 hours of attacks by Azerbaijani forces.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev recently canceled his plans to attend the peace talks on the sidelines of the Granada summit. According to Bloomberg, Aliyev made the decision in reaction to France's promised military aid for Armenia and due to the absence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Baku's close ally.
Martin Fornusek
