Prague has expressed a desire for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be a guest at the summit of EU leaders in October 2022, which it is organizing as part of its presidency of the EU Council.

This was said by Czech Minister for EU Affairs Mikulas Beck, writes Euractiv.

The summit is likely to take place at Prague Castle in early October during the Czech presidency, which runs from July to December 2022.

The government initially considered the possibility of U.S. President Joe Biden attending, but since he visited Poland in late March, it is unlikely that he will return to Central Europe on such short notice.

"We would like to have the president of Ukraine as a guest at the summit," Beck said.

Beck also noted that advisor Zelensky is expected to visit Prague in the coming weeks. In addition, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanyshyna has been invited to the July informal meeting of the Council on General Affairs.

The Czech Republic has insisted on granting Ukraine EU candidate status since the beginning of the Russian invasion. According to Beck, Ukraine must make its way to EU membership as quickly as possible while meeting all the standard criteria.

"The Czech government's idea is relatively realistic and opens the way to compromise at the European level," Beck said.