Ukraine will not accept any alternatives to the status of a candidate for EU membership and does not see skeptical EU countries having any rational arguments.
“I want to reaffirm that we, Ukraine, will not accept any surrogate versions or alternatives to [EU] candidate status no matter how rosy they may be. We need the EU candidate status – not a candidate for candidates, not a potential candidate, or other surrogate. We have been playing this game for a long time and we know how it works. We are humble, modest people who will be satisfied with the usual standard EU candidate status and nothing special should be invented for us,” Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said at an online briefing on Wednesday,
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an application for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union on February 28, 2022.
Also Wednesday, the Chair of the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk in a speech at the European Parliament said that Ukraine deserves to receive the EU candidate status. At the same time, the country understands this is only the candidate status. “We are well aware and guarantee that, having received this impetus, political message, we are ready to continue working, but ready to do it quickly and efficiently, as we did by filling out a questionnaire for EU candidacy,” he said.
He added that Russian president Vladimir Putin will continue to implement his criminal plans with impunity if Ukraine does not receive the status of a candidate for EU membership.
“This impetus is very important to us. It is very important for the Ukrainian people to hear this powerful message from Europe. The message is that ‘what you do is not in vain, and we see your resistance.’ Friends, if we do not receive this message on June 24, Putin will receive this message. He will understand that he can go further with impunity now. I ask you: let’s do everything possible to make June 24 a turning point and our common great victory.”
