Ukrainian and EU leaders will meet nearly a year after Russia’s invasion to discuss food security, energy cooperation, EU membership and more as they prepare an MoU on renewables – Photo: Efrem Lukatsky/Associated Press

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with EU leaders in Kyiv today, nearly a year after Russia’s invasion.

The leaders plan to discuss global food security, energy cooperation, financial support, Ukraine’s path to EU membership and potential new sanctions for Russia. Both sides plan to a sign a memorandum of understanding on a strategic alliance for renewables.

This week, Ukrainian leaders expressed hopes of expediting the country’s EU membership process, to possibly join the bloc in the next two years. EU member states are widely divided on the idea. Ukraine’s closest allies, including Poland and the Baltic countries, have shown support, while France and Germany remain wary, given concerns about reconstruction costs. At the summit, EU commissioners will likely focus on managing expectations and avoiding any specific commitments.

Since EU leaders will avoid making any promises about a quicker accession process, they will likely work to deliver on other short-term measures. Expected progress includes the granting of custom-free access for Ukrainian exports, access to the bloc’s roaming-free zone and inclusion in the single euro payments area. For food security, the EU intends to implement a new approximately $27 million humanitarian aid package to address Russia mining in Ukraine.