Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an application for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union (EU) on Monday.
The document has already been sent to Brussels.
“With this letter, Ukraine, as a European country that respects the values set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, is applying for membership of the European Union in accordance with Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union,” the document said.
Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union states that the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights, including the rights of minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, tolerance, justice, solidarity and non-discrimination prevail, and equality between women and men prevails.
Article 49 sets out the admission procedure.
Zelensky has repeatedly called on his country to join the EU in recent days.
“We call on the European Union to admit Ukraine without delay with a new special procedure,” Zelensky said earlier on Monday.
“Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, above all, to be on an equal footing. I am convinced that this is fair. I am convinced that this is possible,” Zelensky said.
The President of Latvia, Egils Levits, has announced that the EU must immediately grant Ukraine candidate status and access to funding.
A similar position has been expressed by the President of Estonia Alars Kariss.
On 23 February, the day before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lithuanian President Gitan Nauseda and Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a tripartite declaration with Ukraine that Ukraine deserves EU candidate status.
At present, Ukraine is neither an official EU candidate country nor a potential candidate country.
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