Costa begins Tour de Capitales in Ukraine; EU budget central to talks

Brussels – Between 25 August and 17 September 2026, the President of the European Council, António Costa, will meet most of the European Union’s leaders in their respective capitals, as part of his customary “Tour des Capitales”, the European Council announced in a press release. The meetings will serve to set the EU agenda for the coming months, whilst ensuring that the work of the European Council remains anchored to the priorities of individual Member States. 

The key topics will be the strengthening of European defence, competitiveness, and the completion of the single market, support for Ukraine, the enlargement of the Union and, in particular, the definition of the upcoming EU multiannual budget. Costa explained that “defence, competitiveness, enlargement and support for Ukraine will feature in my discussions with European leaders during my upcoming Tour des Capitales. But the EU’s next long-term budget will certainly stand out.”

 During the first week of the tour, from 25 to 27 August, Costa will visit Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic, meeting Prime Ministers Robert Fico, Kristen Michal, Andris Kullbergs and Andrej Babiš respectively. The President had already undertaken a similar tour in December 2025.

However, the tour was preceded by today’s (24 August) symbolic visit by the President of the European Council to Kyiv, where Costa celebrated Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day alongside Volodymyr Zelensky – with a 6.1 billion ‘birthday gift’ for the country’s defence. It was a visit of great political significance, placing Ukraine at the top of the European agenda just as Costa prepares to discuss priorities for the coming months with the leaders of the EU-27.

Speaking from Kyiv, Costa reiterated that the EU would continue to provide “as much support as necessary, for as long as necessary,” throughout the war, during peace negotiations, and in the reconstruction process. “Because our vision extends beyond the war,” he stressed. While Kyiv continues to fight, it is also moving forward on the European path: Ukraine’s EU accession process is proceeding alongside Montenegro’s, with both countries drawing ever closer to the conclusion of the negotiation clusters.

“Ukraine’s future in the European Union is the best guarantee of security and long-term democratic stability — for Ukraine and for Europe as a whole,” Costa said. The aim, he explained, is to bring Ukraine into the European Union’s “peace project”, a community of nations that have moved beyond nationalism, defend democracy and the rule of law, and work together for prosperity and development. Accession remains a “challenging” process, but according to Costa, the difficulties must not dampen Europe’s political resolve, which is founded as much on geopolitical necessity as on the free and democratic choice of the Ukrainian people.