According to the Prime Minister, Ukraine should join the EU.
(Photo: dpa)
Brussels Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is calling for his country to join the EU in an urgent procedure. Ukraine must be quickly accepted by the European Union as part of a special procedure, Zelenski said on Monday.
“Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I’m sure that’s fair. I’m sure we deserve it,” he said in a video speech shared on social media.
According to Selenski, he had previously spoken to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the phone about Ukraine’s possible accession to the EU and the situation in the country. “We talked about concrete decisions to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capacities, about macro-financial aid and Ukraine’s membership in the EU,” Zelenskiy tweeted on Monday night.
Von der Leyen spoke out in favor of Ukraine joining the EU on Sunday. When asked by a Euronews reporter about the country’s inclusion in the community, she said: “In time, they actually belong to us. They are one of us and we want them in.”
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EU Council President Charles Michel told French TV broadcaster BFM on Monday that there would be a debate on Ukraine’s EU accession. “This is a debate that will definitely be had.”
Selenski had already pushed for a decision on Saturday. “It is a crucial moment to end once and for all the long-standing discussion and decide on Ukraine’s membership of the EU,” he wrote on Twitter.
Ukraine has been working towards joining the Alliance for some time. This goal has also been enshrined in the constitution since 2019.
Von der Leyen spoke after the EU with its 27 member states decided to supply arms to Ukraine – a first in the history of the international community. Germany also changed course and is now supplying arms to Ukraine after all.
Also on Monday night, Selenski said he also called British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Polish President Andrej Duda about the current security situation in Ukraine.
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