Ukraine will do everything to start negotiations on membership in the European Union as soon as possible, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"We applied for membership in the European Union and received the candidacy at a speed and under conditions that no other state had. With such speed, we must come to the start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union," the president said at the solemn meeting Verkhovna Rada, dedicated to Statehood Day, in Kyiv on Thursday.

He said everything necessary for this will be done.

"All we have to do for this, we will do: synchronize the legislation of Ukraine with the law of the European Union. We will do it. A plan has also been formed for the implementation of all EU regulations and directives as part of the implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union. This is actually a joint task for us, for you, dear MPs, for the government of our state, and this corresponds to our new reality," the head of state said

According to him, Ukraine is getting closer to Europe every day.

"We have come to the conclusion that our state, our state system is institutionally becoming Europe. We have begun the process of de-oligarchization. A registry is being formed that is ready to put oligarchs under the power of society," Zelensky said.

He also said that he signed a decree on the creation of a competition commission for the selection of candidates for the High Council of Justice. According to him, thanks to this step and others, everything will be done to ensure that judicial reform provides every Ukrainian with access to honest and competent justice.

As MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak (Holos faction) said in a Telegram, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Head of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola (online) also spoke at the parliamentary session. Members of the government, diplomats of partner countries, representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny.