Zelenskyy: Ukraine fully prepared for EU membership talks
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country is fully prepared for negotiations on membership in the European Union.
"I also held several political meetings, in particular on the European Union and our integration. This year we are to start negotiations on membership. Ukraine is fully prepared for this - we are doing what is necessary on our part. And we are doing everything possible to ensure that the EU is also fully prepared," he said in a video address on Monday.
Zelenskyy also spoke out against the extension of restrictions on the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to Europe after September 15.
"There is a very important agreement with the European Commission regarding September 15, which is the last day of restrictions on our grain exports, and we believe that the European side will fulfill its obligations on this date, when the temporary restrictions will cease to be in effect," he said.
"Any extension of the restrictions is absolutely unacceptable and outright non-European. Europe has the institutional capacity to act more rationally than to close a border for a particular product," Zelenskyy said.
