Zelensky reiterates that he expects “positive signs” from the EU on Ukraine’s accession

Live | Crisis in Ukraine

The Council of the EU already has the request in its hands and has to decide whether to process it

BRUSSELS, March 2 (EUROPE PRESS) –

The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has reiterated in a call with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, that he expects “positive signs” from the EU to expedite Ukraine’s entry into the European bloc, requested in the midst of the Russian invasion.

After the Ukrainian leader signed the formal request for entry into the EU on Monday and demanded entry in his speech in the European Parliament on Tuesday, the matter has come to the fore again in a telephone contact with Michel.

“We have discussed the current situation on the battlefield and diplomatic efforts. Waiting for positive signs of Ukraine’s accession to the EU,” Zelensky said in a message posted on social networks.

However, the former Belgian prime minister has made no mention of Ukraine’s accession to the European bloc in his message on social networks, focused on vindicating the figure of Zelensky and the Ukrainian resistance to “brutal Russian aggression”.

“The EU will continue to provide unprecedented assistance to Ukraine,” Michel assured. Community sources have avoided referring to the matter and when asked about the content of the conversation they have referred to the message published by the Ukrainian president.

The formal application for membership is already in the hands of the Council of the EU, European sources have confirmed to Europa Press, and now the Twenty-seven will have to agree on whether to process it once the national parliaments and the European Parliament have been notified.

For the time being the matter has not been included in the forthcoming meetings of EU ambassadors, although next week the leaders of the EU-27 meet at an informal summit in Versailles, France, in which the war in Ukraine and the accession from Kiev to the EU may end up in the spotlight.

At least ten EU countries have already expressed themselves in favor of examining Ukraine’s fast-track entry. If Kiev obtained the status of a candidate country, it would be a great political support and it would open the doors to more European financing instruments in the midst of Russia’s attack.

The Member States that have supported the ‘express’ entry are Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which requested it in a joint letter that was later supported by Romania and Hungary.