Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday pressed allies for ironclad security guarantees against any renewed Russian attack while also seeking progress on EU membership talks and tougher sanctions on Moscow.

Zelenskiy met President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia as Cyprus took over the European Union’s rotating presidency, which runs for six months.

“We are working to make as much progress as possible during this period on opening negotiating clusters and on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union,” Zelenskiy said after the meeting, in a statement posted on X.

Ukraine applied to join the EU days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, seeking to anchor itself politically and economically to the West. It has been pushing to make progress on its bid, despite the challenges of the war and opposition from EU member Hungary to a fast-track for Kyiv.

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“The president and I talked about strengthening sanctions against Russia, which must remain in place as long as Russia’s aggression and occupation continue,” Zelenskiy said.

The two leaders also discussed reinforcing Ukraine’s air defence and the production and supply of drones. “We hope that support for Ukraine will remain strong,” he said.

Zelenskiy also expressed his gratitude for the support and humanitarian assistance his country receives from the EU.

Christodoulides welcomed him to the presidential palace and said that “it seems that we have many positive developments”.

“I look forward to updating you on the latest developments and what we can do as the presidency of the Council of the EU to support the efforts of the US [and] the international community for a peace agreement,” he said.

Zelenskiy had travelled straight to Cyprus from Tuesday’s meeting of the ‘Coalition of the willing’ – a group of over 30 countries which have pledged support for Ukraine – in Paris, where attendees had agreed a five-point declaration regarding Ukraine’s future.

Those five points included participation in a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism led by the United States, further support for Ukraine’s armed forces, a multinational effort to support the rebuilding of Ukraine’s military deterrent, binding commitments to support Ukraine in the event of future Russian attacks, and commitments to long-term defence cooperation with Ukraine.

Zelenskiy had arrived at Larnaca airport on Wednesday morning and was greeted there by Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades.

Zelenskiy later on Wednesday met Cyprus Greek Orthodox Archbishop Georgios, who heads one of the oldest independent Christian churches worldwide. Despite internal dissent, Georgios’ church has voiced support for the independence of the Church of Ukraine away from the sphere of Moscow.

On Monday, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis had said that Christodoulides’ meeting with Zelenskiy comes “at a time when European support for Ukraine remains crucial”.

The meeting, he said, will take place “with an emphasis on efforts for peace, the maintenance of international legitimacy and the protection of the fundamental principles which constitute the European project”.

“These are principles to which the Republic of Cyprus remains firmly committed.”

He said that this is because Cyprus “knows first-hand the consequences of the invasion and ongoing occupation”.

The meeting comes off the back of a telephone conversation held by the pair last week, in which Christodoulides had said that “supporting Ukraine will be a top priority of the Cyprus presidency” of the Council of the EU.

Zelenskiy, meanwhile, had said he had congratulated Christodoulides on the start of Cyprus’ six-month term, and that his country “counts on strong decisions that will strengthen Ukraine and all of Europe over the next six months”.

“It is important that Ukraine is among the key priorities during the Cypriot presidency. Ukraine’s membership in the European Union is one of the security guarantees for us, and for our part we are always doing everything necessary,” he said.