Russia won’t prevent Ukraine from advancing towards EU membership – Tarasyuk

In a commentary to Ukrinform, Tarasyuk stressed that Ukraine works actively towards achieving a positive decision of the European Union, in particular of the Council of EU on June 23-24, if the European Commission adopts a positive opinion on granting Ukraine a candidate country status.

"We do not yet know what the conclusion of the European Commission will be, but the efforts made by the President, the Government, and the Foreign Ministry show that broad support from EU member states is expected for granting Ukraine a candidate status. And we hope that this will lead to a successful outcome," said the Ukrainian diplomat.

He also noted that this week the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine will pay a visit to Strasbourg with a delegation working in the European Parliament. "And, of course, the main goal will be to convince MEPs of the need to grant Ukraine a status of a candidate for EU membership," Tarasyuk said.

At the same time, he noted that Russia is doing everything possible to thwart a decision on Ukraine's candidacy. "Prior to that, Russia focused its efforts on preventing Ukraine's membership in NATO. This goal has not been achieved. And now, realizing its failure on NATO track, Russia has switched to hindering Ukraine's progress towards EU membership," the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe said.

At the same time, he is convinced that the decision of the European Union on Ukraine’s status of a candidate for EU membership will be positive.

President Zelensky signed an application for Ukraine's membership in the European Union on February 28, 2022.

During a visit to Kyiv on April 20, European Council President Charles Michel said that the European Commission would announce the first conclusions on Ukraine's candidate status by the end of June, after which the issue would be on the European Council's agenda.

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