"There will be many leaders." Who will come to Kyiv for the summit on the 3rd anniversary of the Great War: a list
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2025 4:34 PM
AUTHOR: MARIA KUCHERYAVETS
A summit of partner countries and European officials will be held in Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Some will travel to the capital in person, while others will participate online.
RBC-Ukraine in the article below tells about who will come to Kyiv for the summit on February 24.
EU leaders will arrive in Kyiv
European Council President António Costa, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, announced their visit to the capital on Monday, February 24.
"February 24 will mark the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine," Koshta wrote on the social network X.
Koshta noted that he will visit the capital of Ukraine together with the President of the European Commission to confirm support for the heroic Ukrainian people and democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelensky.
It should be noted that the day before, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal shared that a board of European commissioners would arrive in Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
"The government, together with colleagues from the European Commission, will hold joint consultations. A number of bilateral meetings are planned. We will discuss cooperation in the field of security and defense, strengthening sanctions against the aggressor, economic cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union, and integration into the EU," Shmyhal said.
Who and which countries will be represented at the summit?
Lithuania
Among the guests will also be Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda , which he personally told reporters at the Presidential Palace on the evening of Wednesday, February 19.
"This visit is organized to commemorate the third anniversary of the war. Yes, we will be in Ukraine at this time. There will also be a lot of leaders . This will certainly be much broader than the format of the Baltic countries and even the Baltic countries and Northern Europe," Nauseda said.
According to him, this will be another opportunity for partners to "talk about what has been happening recently and what needs to be done in the near future."
Spain
Spain will be represented at the summit of partner countries by its Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez . He wrote about the planned trip to Kyiv on the social network X.
As previously announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine is preparing a meeting of leaders of partner countries in Kyiv for Monday, February 24. According to Zelensky, this meeting should provide a clear vision of the next steps - regarding peace, security guarantees, and the future of the collective policy of Western countries.
"And we are already working to ensure that on February 24, the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, we can come together in Kyiv and online. All European leaders. All key partners who protect our security. From Spain to Finland. From Britain to Poland. From Washington to Tokyo ," the president said.
He recently clarified that some representatives will participate in the meeting in person, while others will join online. Zelensky also expressed hope that this will be a serious representation.
What preceded this?
Recall that on the eve of the third anniversary of the war, on Tuesday, February 18, a meeting of the US and Russian delegations took place in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh , which lasted four and a half hours.
This was the first meeting of this level between the American and Russian sides since the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Following these talks, the US State Department reported that Washington and Moscow agreed to "appoint high-level groups to begin work on an early end to the conflict in Ukraine." Neither Ukrainian nor European leaders were invited to the negotiating table.
The meeting was followed by informal summits on Ukraine and European security in France on Monday and Wednesday. The first such emergency summit was called by President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.
The meeting was attended by the heads of government of Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President António Costa.
A second meeting was later held . On Wednesday, Norway, Canada, the Baltic countries, the Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden, and Belgium were invited to attend.
We should add that after the US-Russia meeting in Riyadh, US President Donald Trump unleashed an unfounded barrage of criticism against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In particular, the head of the White House hinted at the need to hold elections in Ukraine, since, they say, Zelensky's trust rating among Ukrainians is supposedly 4%, although the real figure is much higher. The Ukrainian head of state reacted to Trump's words. He said that Trump "unfortunately lives in a disinformation space" created by the Russian Federation. More about this in a separate RBC-Ukraine article at the link.
During the preparation of the material, statements by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, and statements by foreign leaders and heads of government were used.
Read urgent and important messages about Russia's war against Ukraine on the RBC-Ukraine channel in Telegram .
