(Kyiv) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Thursday “a unique and historic moment” after the attribution to Ukraine of the official status of candidate for the European Union by the Twenty-Seven, a decision awaited by Kyiv in full invasion Russian.
Posted at 3:32 p.m.
“This is a unique and historic moment in Ukraine-EU relations,” Zelensky tweeted, saying that, in his view, “the future of Ukraine lies within the EU” .
“It’s our victory,” he said a few minutes later in a short video on Instagram. “We have waited for (this decision) for 120 days and even for 30 years”, since Ukraine’s independence in 1991.
“We will win for sure” against the army of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which launched the invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, continued Mr. Zelensky.
Many other Ukrainian leaders reacted quickly to the announcement made in the evening by Charles Michel, the President of the European Council.
Dmytro Kouleba, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, considered that “today marks the beginning of a long journey that we will travel together”, he said in a short video shot in pairs with Josep Borrell, its European counterpart.
“Ukraine will win. Europe will triumph,” he said on Twitter. Before adding: “The Ukrainian people belong to the European family. The future of Ukraine is with the EU”.
Same story with Denys Chmygal, the Ukrainian Prime Minister, for whom “this historic day” marks “a new stage in the construction of Europe”.
“Official EU candidate status is about further reforms, wide-ranging rapprochement across all sectors of the economy and a process of full entry into the EU internal market,” he said. precise.
The head of the presidential administration Andriï Yermak also spoke of “the necessary reforms” for Ukraine to officially integrate the European Union in the future. “We want to become a member of the EU,” he said.
“A difficult path awaits us, but the essential has been demonstrated: we are part of the civilized world and take separate paths with “Zombieland” (Russia, editor’s note)”, finally rejoiced on Twitter Mykhaïlo Podoliak, the adviser of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine is therefore officially a candidate for EU membership, a scenario still unimaginable at the start of the year, but which imposed itself on the Twenty-Seven with the Russian invasion.
However, the process could take years to complete.