President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv is ready to open clusters and continue negotiations on joining the European Union. He believes that setting a clear date by the bloc is the key to stopping Russia's war against Ukraine.
He said this during the second part of the closed off-site meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the EU Member States with the participation of the head of European diplomacy, Kaia Kallas, on March 31, a correspondent for Suspilny reports.
Among other things, the head of state cited the perception of Ukraine by the Middle Eastern states as an example, saying that “no one there doubts that Ukraine is Europe” when they turn to Kyiv for help.
“They perceive this as cooperation with Europe… So why is Ukraine still limited as part of Europe on some key issues? Ukraine's membership in the EU is a guarantee of security for us and for Europe. Our potential – human, technological, military – is the potential of Europe. Russia understands this, and sometimes even better than some in Europe itself. That is why it is doing everything to stop Ukraine's accession to the EU. And that is why we are doing everything to make this happen,” Zelensky said.
The President noted that Kyiv is ready to open clusters and continue negotiations on joining the EU.
“The key to stopping Russia is to set a clear date for Ukraine's entry. A clear date is a guarantee of our success and Russia's defeat,” he added.
On March 31, the speakers of parliaments and foreign ministers of EU member states arrived in Ukraine for the Bucha Summit and visited Bucha on the anniversary of the city's liberation from Russian occupation.