--- title: "Ukraine Ready to Join New European Security Council: Kyiv Comments on von der Leyen's Initiative" description: "Ukraine has declared its readiness to participate in the creation of the European Security Council, an initiative voiced by Ursula von der Leyen in her \"State of the Union\" address. Kyiv has also confirmed its course on strengthening air defense within the framework of the Freyja project." date: 2026-09-16T14:52:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-ready-to-join-new-european-security-council tags: [ukraine, eu, european-security-council, von-der-leyen, air-defense, freyja, canada] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Ukraine Ready to Join New European Security Council: Kyiv Comments on von der Leyen's Initiative ![Ukrainian official comments on Kyiv's readiness to join the new European Security Council against the backdrop of the Ukrainian flag](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/17/ukraina-gotova-voyti-v-evropeyskij-sovet-bezopasnosti/ukraina-gotova-voyti-v-evropeyskij-sovet-bezopasnosti-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Georgy Tikhii, spokesperson for Ukraine's MFA, confirmed Kyiv's readiness to participate in the creation of the European Security Council. - The initiative was voiced by Ursula von der Leyen on September 16 in her "State of the Union" address before the European Parliament. - The EU also intends to offer Canada the status of the bloc's first associated member. - Brussels and Kyiv plan to create an affordable modular air defense system based on the Freyja project. The European Union intends to propose the creation of a new body β€” the European Security Council β€” and Ukraine has officially confirmed its readiness to take part in it. This was stated by Georgy Tikhii, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, at a briefing dedicated to the energy ceasefire, while answering questions from a RBC-Ukraine correspondent. His comment was a reaction to a statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who on September 16, in her annual "State of the Union" address before the European Parliament, announced Brussels' intention to lay out ideas for turning the Security Council "into reality." ### Context: von der Leyen's speech and the logic of the new initiative According to von der Leyen, the question of creating a European security body has become "even more pressing now, given the nature and scale of the risks." That is precisely why, she stated, the European Commission will set out concrete ideas to make the European Security Council a reality. In Kyiv, this initiative was received as a signal of high-level attention to Ukraine. "We noticed the high level of attention the President of the European Commission paid to Ukraine and to the issues of defending against Russian aggression, to the issues of supporting our state. And we are grateful to her for the fact that Ukraine was clearly in focus, at the center, in a special priority in this speech," Tikhii noted. In his words, this is right, since "there is no greater challenge to Europe's security today than Russian aggression against Ukraine." ### Kyiv's position: readiness for close cooperation The MFA spokesperson emphasized that Ukraine has repeatedly stated its readiness to enter into closer cooperation both with the EU as a whole and with individual member states in order to strengthen the continent's security. "We have already been actively discussing them, we are discussing them now, and we are ready to participate in strengthening Europe's security," he summarized, referring to the various formats being discussed in Europe to strengthen collective defense. Thus, Kyiv has in effect confirmed that it will not shy away from new institutional mechanisms if they are open to Ukraine's participation. ### Canada as the first associated member and the question of the US role In parallel with the Security Council initiative, Brussels is advancing the expansion of the "circle of trusted partners": according to RBC-Ukraine, the EU wants to offer Canada the status of the bloc's first-ever associated member. Von der Leyen emphasized that Europe and Canada share common values, which makes such a partnership logical. In Azerbaijani and Ukrainian media, the Security Council initiative is often interpreted as a "European analogue of NATO" β€” a structure that should ensure continental defense without direct reliance on Washington. At the same time, in official texts, neither Brussels nor Kyiv frames the new body precisely as a "replacement" for NATO, but rather speaks of strengthening the European dimension of security. ### Strengthening air defense: the Freyja project and a modular system An important practical consequence of the course on strengthening security was the decision to substantially reinforce Ukraine's air defense. One of the key directions is the creation of a common air defense system based on the Freyja project. Von der Leyen stated the joint desire of Brussels and Kyiv to create an affordable modular missile defense system, which should allow protection to be built up in stages and in line with the real needs of the Ukrainian side. This step is linked to the overall logic of integrating Ukraine into the European security system: from declarations of "focus on Ukraine" to concrete defense projects. ### What this means for the architecture of Europe's security Together, the initiatives on the European Security Council, the associated member status for Canada, and the Freyja project paint a picture of the gradual formation of a more independent European defense perimeter, in which Ukraine is seen not as a peripheral partner but as part of a space whose security is directly linked to the security of the continent. For Kyiv, this opens up the possibility to influence the rules and formats that will define Europe's defense in the coming years, while for Brussels it is a way to legitimize the new body through the participation of a country on the front line of the conflict. The final composition, mandate, and terms of Ukraine's participation in the Security Council, as of September 17, 2026, have not yet been finalized and will be clarified during further negotiations. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [EU wants to create European Security Council with Ukraine: what the MFA says about it](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/es-zahotili-stvoriti-evropeysku-radu-bezpeki-1789569921.html) - ΠŸΠ΅Ρ€Π²ΠΈΡ‡Π½Ρ‹ΠΉ источник Ρ†ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ спикСра ΠœΠ˜Π” Π£ΠΊΡ€Π°ΠΈΠ½Ρ‹ ГСоргия Π’ΠΈΡ…ΠΎΠ³ΠΎ ΠΎ готовности КиСва ΡƒΡ‡Π°ΡΡ‚Π²ΠΎΠ²Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π² усилСнии бСзопасности Π•Π²Ρ€ΠΎΠΏΡ‹. - [European analogue of NATO: with Canada and Ukraine, but without America](https://haqqin.az/newsarchive/393235) - ΠšΠΎΠ½Ρ‚Π΅ΠΊΡΡ‚: Ρ‚Ρ€Π°ΠΊΡ‚ΠΎΠ²ΠΊΠ° ΠΈΠ½ΠΈΡ†ΠΈΠ°Ρ‚ΠΈΠ²Ρ‹ ΠΊΠ°ΠΊ СвропСйского ΠΎΠ±ΠΎΡ€ΠΎΠ½Π½ΠΎΠ³ΠΎ ΠΊΠΎΠ½Ρ‚ΡƒΡ€Π° с участиСм Π£ΠΊΡ€Π°ΠΈΠ½Ρ‹ ΠΈ ΠšΠ°Π½Π°Π΄Ρ‹. - [Without the US, but with Ukraine: EU wants to create a European analogue of NATO](https://www.unian.net/world/evrosoyuz-dolzhen-sozdat-svoy-analog-nato-no-s-uchastiem-ukrainy-ursula-fon-der-lyayen-13501623.html) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ заявлСниС Ρ„ΠΎΠ½ Π΄Π΅Ρ€ ЛяСн ΠΎ создании Π‘ΠΎΠ²Π΅Ρ‚Π° бСзопасности с участиСм Π£ΠΊΡ€Π°ΠΈΠ½Ρ‹. - [EU announces creation of European Security Council with Ukraine's participation](https://oxu.az/ru/v-mire/v-es-anonsirovali-sozdanie-evropejskogo-soveta-bezopasnosti-s-uchastiem-ukrainy) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ анонс ΠΈΠ½ΠΈΡ†ΠΈΠ°Ρ‚ΠΈΠ²Ρ‹ ΠΈ участиС Π£ΠΊΡ€Π°ΠΈΠ½Ρ‹ Π² дискуссии. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What is the European Security Council and who proposed it? **A:** It is a new body, the creation of which was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on September 16 in her "State of the Union" address. Brussels intends to set out ideas for its launch to strengthen the continent's security. ### Q: Is Ukraine ready to participate in this council? **A:** Yes. Georgy Tikhii, spokesperson for Ukraine's MFA, stated that Kyiv is ready to enter into closer cooperation with the EU and individual member states and to participate in strengthening Europe's security. ### Q: What role does Canada play in the EU's new plans? **A:** According to media reports, the EU wants to offer Canada the status of the bloc's first-ever associated member, citing the shared values of Europe and Canada. ### Q: What is planned regarding Ukraine's air defense? **A:** Brussels and Kyiv intend to create an affordable modular missile defense system based on the Freyja project, which should substantially strengthen Ukraine's air defense.