Monitoring Desk
KYIV: The European Union (EU) on Friday pledged to support Ukraine in its quest for bloc membership as top officials arrived in Kyiv for a highly symbolic summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – who is hosting the meeting – is pressing the bloc for speedy membership as it fights to defeat almost a year-long Russian invasion.
The European Union granted candidate status to Ukraine last year, but the path to full membership could take years.
The European Union chief Charles Michel announced his arrival in Kyiv as air raid sirens sounded. He vowed that there would be “no let up in our resolve.”
“We will also support Ukraine every step of the way on its journey to the EU,” Michel tweeted.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and the bloc’s most senior diplomat, Josep Borrell, are also in Ukraine’s capital for the summit.
Zelensky said following talks with Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday that his country “deserves to start talks on EU membership this year”.
Zelensky calls for unity among EU members
“Only together a strong European Union and a strong Ukraine can protect the life we value.” Von der Leyen welcomed Ukraine’s steps for membership and said the bloc was looking to finalize the draft of new sanctions against Russia by February 24, which marks the first anniversary of the Russian forces’ invasion.
Vladimir Putin insists Russia is weathering the barrage of sanctions imposed by Western allies of Ukraine and says his troops will continue to fight without considering the penalties.
But von der Leyen said that EU sanctions were already “eroding” Russia’s economy, “sending it back by a generation.”
She estimated that an oil price cap announced in December was costing Russia around 160 million euros daily.
But Zelensky said the Western allies needed to do more and do it quickly. He claimed Russia was adapting to the measures announced by Western countries.
