Ukraine’s Zelenskiy arrives in Spain to meet European leaders

(Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday he had arrived in the Spanish city of Granada to take part in the European Political Community Summit, a forum to foster cooperation among more than 40 countries established after Russia’s invasion.

The European leaders gathering in Granada are expected to assure Zelenskiy of long-term support after U.S. President Joe Biden voiced fears that Republican infighting in Congress could hurt American policy on continuing aid to Kyiv.

“Our joint goal is to ensure the security and stability of our common European home,” Zelenskiy said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We are working together with partners on enhancing the European security architecture, particularly regional security. Ukraine has substantial proposals in this regard.”

“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,” he said.

Russia pulled out of a deal in July that had allowed Ukraine to safely ship food products out via the Black Sea, which is traditionally Kyiv’s main export corridor.

Ukraine responded by setting up a temporary “humanitarian corridor” for cargo vessels, and several ships have left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports since.

“Ukraine’s key priority, particularly as winter approaches, is to strengthen air defense. We have already laid the groundwork for new agreements with partners and look forward to their approval and implementation,” Zelenskiy added.

He gave no details but Ukraine, which is heavily reliant on its Western allies for arms, fears Russia will launch a new waves of air strikes on energy facilities this winter.

“This should be a productive day for Ukraine and Europe as a whole,” Zelenskiy added.

(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka, Editing by Timothy Heritage)