PM meeting with President Costa of the European Council: 23 August 2026

The Prime Minister met the President of the European Council Antonio Costa on the train to Kyiv, as the two leaders travelled into the city to mark Independence Day.

It was a vital moment to show unity and solidarity with Ukraine, the leaders agreed.

Turning to the UK's relationship with the European Union, the two leaders underlined the importance of being ambitious to drive a step change in relations.

The UK had to be bolder in terms of getting closer to the bloc, the Prime Minister said.

That included building on the close defence and security ties already forged between the UK and European Allies to drive greater cooperation across all areas of the relationship, he added.

The UK-EU summit set to be held later this year, would offer a platform to continue that work, the leaders agreed.

Both looked forward to seeing one and another at the Coalition of the Willing later today.