President Zelensky Signs Application for EU Membership
By Khatia Bzhalava
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed an application for Ukraine's membership in the European Union. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has supported Ukraine's request to join the EU as soon as possible. “Although I am in favor of standard procedures, we are now in a non-standard situation,” said the Czech Prime Minister.
According to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borrell, Ukraine has the prospect of joining the EU, but membership is not on the agenda. As he noted, EU membership is something that will take many years, while the war in Ukraine must be answered in the coming hours. Borrell stressed that the international community would not allow a situation where a “powerful country smashes their neighbor using its military capacities.”
Meanwhile, the first round of Russian and Ukrainian talks took place at the Belarus border yesterday. As the Ukrainian President's adviser Mikhaylo Podolyak told reporters, the main goal was to discuss a ceasefire and the end of combat actions on Ukrainian territory. The parties have returned to their capitals for consultations around the decisions made at the meeting.
