Ukraine want EU Membership, here’s how that would work
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Ukraine want EU Membership, here’s how that would work
According to a post from his verified Facebook page, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has officially signed an application for Ukraine's membership in the European Union
The move comes hours after Zelenskyy released a video appealing to the EU for membership and calling on Russian forces to go home. He urged the EU to allow Ukraine's immediate entry under what he described as a "new special procedure," on which he did not elaborate.
"Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal," he said, according to a translation from The Guardian. "I am confident that it is fair. I am confident we have deserved it. I am confident that all this is possible."
Ukraine is not currently recognized as an official candidate for EU membership, though it's been part of an association agreement with the EU (in which both parties agreed to align their economies in certain areas and deepen political ties) since 2017, as Politico notes.
Zelenskyy discussed with membership of European leaders
Zelenskyy's plea echoes remarks he made over the weekend when he pushed publicly for Ukraine's accession into the EU and discussed the subject with European leaders.
Zelenskyy tweeted on Saturday that he had spoken with European Council President Charles Michel, writing: "It is a crucial moment to close the long-standing discussion once and for all and decide on Ukraine's membership in the #EU."
Highlights:
- Following the request, European Council President Charles Michel stated that the council must "seriously consider Ukraine's application for EU membership."
- Ukraine has applied for membership to defend against the Russian invasion.
- Apart from humanitarian aid, the European Union has sent Ukraine USD 450 million in military aid.
- Russian and Ukrainian officials met near the Belarusian border for peace talks. In contrast, Western countries continue to band together to economically and politically isolate Russia.
- The Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area determine EU-Ukraine relations (DCFTA).
- The new president, Petro Poroshenko, signed the economic section of Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement in 2014. Ukraine became a member of DCFYA in 2016, along with the EU.