China News Agency, Paris, March 10 (Reporter Li Yang) The EU summit hosted by France, the current EU rotating presidency, opened on the 10th local time at the Palace of Versailles near Paris.
The summit focused on the situation in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron held a welcome ceremony for the participating dignitaries at the Palace of Versailles that day. The first plenary meeting was held immediately, and Macron presided over the meeting.
The summit was originally scheduled to focus on EU economic issues, but the situation in Ukraine has now become the focus of the meeting.
Macron said of the situation in Ukraine that a diplomatic solution cannot be expected in the short term.
Macron had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the situation in Ukraine on the same day, along with German Chancellor Scholz, to discuss the ceasefire issue.
He revealed that he will continue to talk with Putin in the future.
The summit will discuss issues related to the accession of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to the EU.
In this regard, Macron said that because Ukraine and Russia are at war, Ukraine's accession to the European Union is currently not feasible.
But he said the issue would still be discussed during the meeting.
In his view, the EU should also not "shut down" countries such as Ukraine.
The summit will also discuss EU defence and energy issues.
On defense, EU leaders are expected to discuss whether to increase defense spending, promote innovative technologies and deepen cooperation among member states.
Due to the impact of the situation in Ukraine, the energy prices of many EU member states have soared, which has attracted the attention of politicians; the EU will further study how to reduce its dependence on Russian gas and oil.
In addition, the summit also plans to discuss the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and the reception of Ukrainian refugees and other related issues.
According to the official arrangement, the summit will last for 2 days. The second plenary meeting will be held on the 11th. Macron will also hold a press conference after the summit to introduce the relevant situation.
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