President Nikos Christodoulides met on Wednesday afternoon with the Presidents of the European Council and Commission, António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The four-party meeting at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia took place ahead of the opening ceremony of Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Seated before the press, Christodoulides said Cyprus is ready to deliver and work together during its six-month Presidency for an autonomous EU, open to the world.
Following the quadrilateral meeting which lasted under 40 minutes, Christodoulides tweeted that discussions focused on the latest developments and efforts towards a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine, in line with international law. "Cyprus will work actively to ensure that the EU’s support to Ukraine remains strong, united and unwavering," he said, adding that supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity was "a top priority".
I hosted a quadrilateral meeting with the Presidents of Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa, the European Council @eucopresident and the European Commission @vonderleyen . Our discussions focused on the latest developments and efforts towards a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine,… pic.twitter.com/R1gR01mp2Z
— President of the Republic of Cyprus (@PresidentCYP) January 7, 2026
He also held a bilateral meeting with Council President Costa, to coordinate on European priorities during the Cyprus EU Presidency and ensure EU cohesion in the face of international challenges while strengthening Europe's strategic autonomy, security and resilience.
EU leaders show interest in region
Following their Cyprus visit, Costa and Von der Leyen will take advantage of the geography, remaining in the region, to visit the Jordanian King Abdullah II on Thursday for the first-ever EU-Jordan Summit, reaffirming the EU's commitment to Jordan as a key strategic partner in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. On Friday, the Council and Commission Presidents will travel to Syria to meet with President Ahmed al-Sharaa and deepen political ties and economic engagement with the country. Later in the day, the two leaders will travel to Beirut to meet with President Joseph Aoun and further strengthen the EU-Lebanon partnership, focusing on prosperity, security and stability.
Meanwhile, in Nicosia, following his meeting with Costa, Christodoulides met with visiting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun whom he recently saw in Beirut to sign a maritime delimitation agreement between the two countries.
Christodoulides noted on the Lebanese President's arrival to the Palace that it was the fifth meeting of the two heads of state since Aoun was elected to office, reflecting the personal friendship and level of bilateral relations. He reiterated Cyprus’ goal to launch discussions on an EU-Lebanon strategic agreement.
Ukraine on EU agenda
Earlier in the day, Christodoulides met with Zelenskyy who is on his first visit to Cyprus, a month after the Cypriot president visited Kyiv for the first time. The two held a bilateral meeting in the morning where they discussed developments in the effort to reach a peace deal in Ukraine and Ukraine’s EU accession path.
The Cypriot president assured his Ukrainian counterpart of Cyprus’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, noting that “Ukraine will be a central priority of our Presidency”.
For his part, Zelenskyy hoped to see “a lot of steps forward” that would bring his country closer to the EU during Cyprus’ EU Presidency.
Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in 2022, along with Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the three countries’ applications fast-tracked following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, Georgia also received candidate status. In 2024, Ukraine formally launched accession negotiations. The other five EU candidate countries – in varying stages of accession – are: Turkey (whose accession process is effectively frozen), North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania.
Christodoulides to Egypt: ‘Time of essence’ for energy development
During the day, President Christodoulides also met with Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum Karim Badawi, during which he said: “One of the main priorities of our Presidency is to bring the EU closer to the region, closer to Egypt. Egypt is a strategic partner of the EU.”
The Cypriot president added that energy is a key issue on his agenda, noting he would also meet with Guido Brusco, Chief Operating Officer of Italian energy giant Eni, on Thursday.
Christodoulides stressed that time is of the essence, highlighting the need for coordination to see developments in the energy field the soonest possible. Cyprus and Egypt have signed intergovernmental agreements on the prospect of transporting Cypriot natural gas to Egypt’s liquefaction facilities and selling it on to other markets as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
For his part, the Egyptian minister congratulated Cyprus on taking the helm of the EU Council, noting that the two countries are strategic partners.
Constructive meeting with Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum of the Arab Republic of Egypt 🇪🇬, representing President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at the Opening Ceremony of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU. We discussed our strong bilateral ties, with a particular focus… pic.twitter.com/IFxOkQ9Ovr
— President of the Republic of Cyprus (@PresidentCYP) January 7, 2026
Flurry of contacts
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos was also busy throughout the day, meeting with dignitaries who arrived to attend the opening ceremony of Cyprus’ EU Presidency. Kombos held meetings with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, Qatari Minister of State for International Cooperation Dr Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad and Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.
Strong regional presence at opening ceremony
Later in the day, the heads of the European Council, Commission, and Court of Auditors, along with the Presidents of Ukraine, Moldova, Iraq and Lebanon, the Secretaries-General of the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council, along with the Ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, were due to attend the opening ceremony of the Cyprus EU Presidency at the Cyprus Theatre Organisation building in Nicosia.
All 14 heads of the official delegations were due to be hosted for dinner by the Cypriot president after the ceremony.