On June 18 (UK time), according to Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the European Union (EU) to consider accelerating the process of admitting Ukraine, saying that this is one of the important measures to ensure long-term security for Europe.
Speaking at the EU summit in Brussels (Belgium), Mr. Zelensky emphasized that the future of Europe is being shaped through the conflict in Ukraine.
Every democratic nation in Europe deserves to be a member of the EU. Ukraine deserves it too because it has paid more than any other country for its right to freedom, independence and to be part of Europe," Zelensky wrote on social network X.
Mr. Zelensky believes that the EU should consider a faster accession path for Ukraine instead of applying a lengthy process like for previous candidates. According to the Ukrainian leader, this can be seen as a special mechanism reflecting Kiev's role in protecting European security.
However, Ukraine's proposal to accelerate the EU accession process has not received complete consensus. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said that Budapest has requested to remove this content from the European Council's joint statement.
However, the EU still reaffirmed its support for Ukraine's accession process, and committed to continuing rounds of negotiations based on the level of meeting the bloc's standards.
Also at the conference, Mr. Zelensky said that Kiev hopes that the conflict with Russia can end this year through diplomatic efforts combined with increasing pressure on Moscow.
We want to end this conflict before winter. But we understand who we are facing," he said.
The Ukrainian President warned that if the fighting continues, the country will need more gas, diesel fuel, energy equipment and at least 300 anti-aircraft missiles to get through the upcoming winter.
Mr. Zelensky also called on the EU to disburse a support package worth 6 billion euros (about 6.9 billion USD) from the European Peace Fund, and continue to provide financial support to the Ukrainian army.
The Ukrainian leader affirmed that Kiev is still ready to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin to find a solution to the conflict, but said that Europe needs to maintain sanctions and continue to put pressure on Russia.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that Russia will continue to conduct large-scale coordinated attacks on Ukraine after Kiev carried out drone attacks on Russian territory.
