By Michele Kambas

NICOSIA, Jan 7 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought progress on EU membership talks and tougher sanctions on Russia, making his case on Wednesday as Cyprus took over the European Union's rotating presidency.

Zelenskiy met Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia as Cyprus formally assumed the 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.

“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 was due to hold talks later with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.

Wednesday's meetings, he said, would provide an opportunity to discuss details of a meeting in Paris on Tuesday, where the United States backed a broad coalition of Ukraine's allies in promising to provide security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire to support the country if Russia attacks again. 

Cyprus, which traditionally had close political and cultural ties with Russia, has fully backed sanctions on Moscow. Many on the island draw parallels between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Turkey's invasion of north Cyprus in 1974 after a brief coup engineered by the military then ruling Greece.

"Cyprus reaffirms its steadfast commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. As a country that still lives with the consequences of illegal invasion and ongoing military occupation, we fully understand what is at stake," Christodoulides wrote in a post on X after meeting Zelenskiy.

"Ukraine will be a central priority of our Presidency, and will work to ensure sustained support at all levels," he said.

A ceremony later in Nicosia marking the start of its six-month term will include Middle Eastern leaders, including Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, highlighting the ambition of the eastern Mediterranean island to serve as a bridge between Europe and the region.

(Writing by Michele KambasEditing by Hugh Lawson, William Maclean and Frances Kerry)