EU's Costa: Ukraine's membership process must go forward

LISBON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - European Council President Antonio Costa said on Tuesday the process to make Ukraine a member of the European Union needs to advance and Europe has to be part of any peace negotiations alongside Ukraine, Russia and the United States.

Costa, who debriefed council members about Monday's talks in Washington via a video call from Lisbon, told reporters that although there was much to be done and no guarantees of success, the very possibility of a bilateral meeting between Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin was "in itself fairly positive".