Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country is now closer to the European Union (EU) than it has been since independence in 1990.
“Ukraine is now closer to the European Union than it has been since independence,” the President assured in his usual daily video message, broadcast by local news outlets.
The Ukrainian President declared that “thanks to the courage of Ukrainian men and women, Europe can create this new history of freedom and finally eliminate the gray area between the EU and Russia in Eastern Europe”.
Zelenskyy made these statements hours after the visit French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Johannisheld on Thursday to Kyiv.
The arrival of European leaders in the Ukrainian capital ahead of their meeting with the Ukrainian President coincided with the sounding of an antiaircraft siren in the city.
“Russia created an environment where everyone can hear those sirens to create a tense atmosphere, but nobody was scared. It just inspired us to be as concrete as possible and negotiate our interests for all Ukrainians and for everyone in Europe,” Zelensky stressed.
European leaders announced their support for granting Ukraine candidate status to the EU on Thursday during a joint visit to Kyiv, unprecedented since Russia’s February 24 invasion.
After a meeting with Zelenskyy, the four European heads of state and government stated this support this status from Ukraine immediately, on the eve of the European Council (EC), which will deal with this issue in Brussels.