President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has met with the prime ministers of Albania, Montenegro as well as the prime minister of North Macedonia, who participated in the meeting via a video call. The participants of the meeting approved a joint statement in support of granting Ukraine the status of EU candidate.

"I am grateful to all of them for the approval of our joint statement in support of granting Ukraine the status of EU candidate," Zelensky told a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"Our countries should be full members of the EU and we agree that our states are not rivals on this European path. They only reinforce each other's opportunities," the president said.

Zelensky also said "this meeting shows support of the prime ministers, as well as their peoples, for our territorial integrity, our sovereignty, our course towards full EU membership as well as the necessity to bring all Russian war criminals to liability for what they have done against Ukraine on our land and against Europe."

"We agree that even stronger support for Ukraine should be an effective tactical response to Russia's aggression. The seventh package of sanctions should be as noticeable for the aggressor country as all the previous six ones together," he said.