Good morning. It is a great honour for me to be beside President Zelenskyy the first time I chair the European Council. In this meeting, we will discuss two main points: first of all Ukraine and then Europe in the world.

On Ukraine we must be very clear: you can count on our full and unwavering support, whatever it takes and for as long as necessary. Now in war, in future in peace. And we want to welcome you someday here as a member of the European Union. We will work on this together with you and on winning comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.

This war is in Ukraine, against the Ukrainian people, on European soil. But at stake here are the universal principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter: the right to self-determination, the right to territorial integrity and the right to have safe borders. That's why this war is not only about Ukraine, not only about Europe; it is about international law. International law must prevail, and the invasion must be defeated.

The second point of our Council is Europe in the world. We are not living in a bipolar world but in a multipolar world. There is not a global south because the south is plural just as the north is plural, and we need to look beyond Europe to the different continents and weave a very strong global network with all of our partners around the world, from New Zealand to Brazil.

This is very important for our common future of peace and prosperity, for tackling our global challenges, like climate change, oceans governance, and development and for building a new international architecture, leading on this very difficult issue of global debt in less developed countries.