Vladimir Zelensky said that if Western countries do not speed up Ukraine's entry into the EU and NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin will see them as weak.
Kiev wants to join both the European Union and the military group run by the US. It has been told that it will eventually be able to join both. Zelensky made his case for special treatment again on Thursday at a news meeting with Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland, and Gitanas Nauseda, the president of Lithuania.
To bring Europe together, the EU needs to show that it is "not afraid of itself," and NATO needs to show that it is "not afraid of its own rules," the president of Ukraine said. In both groups, a single member's protest can stop a country from running. Zelensky, on the other hand, thinks that "every democratic nation in Europe... deserves to be a member of the EU and NATO."
There needs to be real action to back up this fact. He said, "June is the right month to start real talks about Ukraine joining the EU." Putin does not want to think that Europe is weak, so Europe needs to show that it is strong.
His Excellency also said that Kiev sees "no alternative" to joining NATO. Moscow has said that the bloc's growth in Europe is a major cause of the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
In June 2022, Brussels made Ukraine an EU candidate country, and official talks to join the EU began in December of that year. European officials say that both actions were mostly symbolic and meant to show that the West supported Kiev's foreign policy goals. The EU is currently discussing a new set of laws for enlargement, but they probably will not be finalized before the June elections for the European Parliament.
Not everyone is sure about Ukraine's chances, even in countries that strongly back Kiev in its fight against Russia. For example, Polish officials have said that their neighboring country can not join the EU until strong protections are put in place to keep current members from being harmed by cheap Ukrainian agriculture goods. They have also warned that EU farms would go bankrupt if these protections are not put in place.
Since last month, Politico has been reporting that the leaders in Brussels are trying to keep the question of Ukraine's membership out of the minds of EU voters before the elections in June. The story says that Warsaw will likely start planning for EU membership when it takes over as president of the Council of the EU in 2025.
Kiev wants to join both the European Union and the military group run by the US. It has been told that it will eventually be able to join both. Zelensky made his case for special treatment again on Thursday at a news meeting with Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland, and Gitanas Nauseda, the president of Lithuania.
To bring Europe together, the EU needs to show that it is "not afraid of itself," and NATO needs to show that it is "not afraid of its own rules," the president of Ukraine said. In both groups, a single member's protest can stop a country from running. Zelensky, on the other hand, thinks that "every democratic nation in Europe... deserves to be a member of the EU and NATO."
There needs to be real action to back up this fact. He said, "June is the right month to start real talks about Ukraine joining the EU." Putin does not want to think that Europe is weak, so Europe needs to show that it is strong.
His Excellency also said that Kiev sees "no alternative" to joining NATO. Moscow has said that the bloc's growth in Europe is a major cause of the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
In June 2022, Brussels made Ukraine an EU candidate country, and official talks to join the EU began in December of that year. European officials say that both actions were mostly symbolic and meant to show that the West supported Kiev's foreign policy goals. The EU is currently discussing a new set of laws for enlargement, but they probably will not be finalized before the June elections for the European Parliament.
Not everyone is sure about Ukraine's chances, even in countries that strongly back Kiev in its fight against Russia. For example, Polish officials have said that their neighboring country can not join the EU until strong protections are put in place to keep current members from being harmed by cheap Ukrainian agriculture goods. They have also warned that EU farms would go bankrupt if these protections are not put in place.
Since last month, Politico has been reporting that the leaders in Brussels are trying to keep the question of Ukraine's membership out of the minds of EU voters before the elections in June. The story says that Warsaw will likely start planning for EU membership when it takes over as president of the Council of the EU in 2025.
