The leaders’ talks started on Thursday afternoon and ended on Friday after 2:00. The leaders of the “27s” will meet again at the Palace of Versailles at 10:00.
The adopted declaration does not directly mention the candidate’s status for Ukraine. “Apart from the GDR in the times of Helmut Kohl, no one joined the European Union overnight,” said the head of the Croatian government Andrej Plenkovic after the nightly deliberations.
Prime Minister of the Netherlands on Ukraine’s request: It will take time. President of Lithuania: Historical Night
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, also took the floor, pointing out that legally there is no fast track to EU accession, but the Council had already accelerated the submission of Kiev’s application for an opinion by the European Commission. “It will take months, maybe years, before something happens,” said Prime Minister Rutte. As he emphasized, in the short term, Ukraine must be helped through sanctions imposed on Russia, military and humanitarian support and the transfer of medicines.
“Historic night in Versailles. After five hours of heated discussions, EU leaders said ‘yes’ to Ukrainian euro-integration. The process has started. Now it is up to us and the Ukrainians to end it as soon as possible,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on Twitter.
The head of the European Council, Charles Michael, quoted an excerpt from the communiqué after the meeting of EU leaders: “We will immediately strengthen our ties and deepen our partnership to support Ukraine in following the European path.”
“Ukraine belongs to our European family”
The text of the declaration of EU leaders emphasized that the European Council recognizes the European choice of Ukraine. It was recalled that the Council promptly forwarded the membership application to the Commission and asked for an opinion on the Kiev initiative. “In anticipation and without delay, we will continue to strengthen our ties and deepen our partnership to support Ukraine on its European path. Ukraine belongs to our European family,” wrote the joint document of EU leaders.
The declaration also included an invitation from the Commission to submit its opinions on the applications of Georgia and Moldova.
The position agreed at the informal summit in Versailles also concerns the issue of sanctions against Russia. “We are determined to increase our pressure on Russia even more (…) we are ready to act quickly with further sanctions,” it was written. Leaders also called for humanitarian funding to be made available to refugees and their host countries without delay.
The Russian war against Ukraine continues. There is information about houses destroyed, wounded and killed. Needs are increasing hour by hour. That is why Gazeta.pl joins forces with the Polish Center for International Aid (PCPM) Foundation to support humanitarian aid for Ukrainians and Ukrainians. Anyone can join the fundraiser by making a deposit through or on the website. More information in the article:
Source: Gazeta
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