Ukraine deserves status of candidate for EU membership – Zelensky
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence that Ukraine deserves the status of a candidate country for membership of the European Union.
The Head of State called the recommendation of the European Commission to the European Council to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country to the EU a historic achievement of all those who work for Ukraine.
"The only thing left is to wait for the decision of the European Council next week. And I believe that Ukraine has done everything possible for this step to be positive as well – the decision of the European Council, i.e. the leaders of the EU states. Ukraine deserves this positive. Ukrainian values are European values. Ukrainian institutions maintain resilience even in conditions of war. Ukrainian democratic habits have not lost their power even now, " Zelensky said in his video address on Friday evening.
He noted that the rapprochement of Ukraine and the EU is not only a positive for Ukraine, but also the greatest contribution to the future of Europe for many years.
As an example, Zelensky recalled that after February 24, Ukraine joined the European energy system.
"Our networks - Ukraine and the European Union - work in sync despite a full-scale war. Hence, even this fact alone shows everything at once - the professionalism of our people, the strength of our institutions, our ability to fulfill promises and the magnitude of Ukraine's potential, " the president said.
According to him, the European integration of Ukraine is not something exclusively political, divorced from the lives of ordinary people.
"On the contrary. The closer we are to other European countries, the more opportunities we will have to guarantee all Ukrainians a modern and prosperous life, " the president said.
