Ukraine needs to become a candidate for EU membership as soon as possible and is ready to take all necessary practical steps on its way further to the EU, such membership should become a reality, not a promise, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"Ukraine's membership in the European Union should be an absolute reality, not just promises or prospects, but practical steps. I know that we are ready for these steps, and you know it. I'm sure most of you understand that very well," he said Friday, speaking by video link at the high-level International Donor Conference on Ukraine in Warsaw.
"Ukraine needs to move quickly to the European Union, acquiring candidate status, which needs to be granted right now, in a war and under a special abbreviated procedure," Zelensky stressed.
He noted that this Russian war against Ukraine was planned as preparation for a strike against a united Europe.
"So increased unification would be a powerful response to all this," the Ukrainian president said.
