Zelenskyy believes EU will be ready for Ukraine accession talks later this year
Zelenskyy thanked the EU for the assistance Ukraine has been receiving over the past year (Photo:Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)
The EU will be ready to begin negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the bloc later this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Feb. 3, as quoted by his press service.
During the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit in Kyiv on Feb. 2, which was attended by President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Zelenskyy thanked for the support provided by the European Union to Ukraine over the past year.
According to the Ukrainian leader, Kyiv is completing the implementation of seven recommendations the European Commission gave when it granted Ukraine EU member candidate status in summer 2022.
“This spring, we expect an interim assessment by the European Commission of our progress, which was achieved in extremely difficult conditions of confronting Russian terror and full-scale invasion,” Zelenskyy said.
“I’m confident that what Ukraine has achieved deserves a positive assessment.”
He expressed gratitude for the presentation of the Analytical Report on the implementation of reforms that will become the basis for the national plan of harmonizing Ukraine’s legislation with EU’s.
“Our goal is absolutely clear – to start negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the European Union,” he stressed.
“And I believe that the European Union will also be ready for negotiations on Ukraine’s accession this year.”
In turn, Michel reiterated that in June 2022, Ukraine was granted the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union, and it is moving quite fast along the European integration path.
Von der Leyen also positively assessed the progress made by Ukraine in implementing the seven recommendations of the European Commission and expressed hope for further rapid progress.
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