Visit Kyiv, EU Leader Ensures Support And Membership Status For Ukraine

JAKARTA - The head of the European Commission and a number of top diplomats of the Blue Continent arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine to offer support and guarantees to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, regarding the offer of European Union membership.

Traveling by train from Brussels, Belgium to Kyiv, Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen who was accompanied among others by EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell told reporters the most important message she brought to Zelenskiy was, 'there will be EU' pathway for Ukraine.

"Usually it takes years before the EU Council accepts membership applications, but Ukraine does so within a week or two and I ask to move forward as quickly as possible," he said.

"Our goal is to submit Ukraine's application to the council this summer."

Six weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he pledged to support Kyiv to "emerge from the war as a democratic country", something, he said, the European Union and other donors would help.

That was the message echoed by Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, who also told reporters the visit was a signal "Ukraine is in control of its territory" and the government is still in control.

"Ukraine is not a colonized, dominated country. There is still a government (which) accepts people from outside and you can travel to Kyiv," Borrell said, adding he hoped the EU would offer another 500 million euros ($543.25 million). to Kyiv in the coming days.

He also said the trip would allow the bloc to outline steps the European Union has taken to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, a war Moscow describes as a "special operation" to "denazify" its neighbour.

As previously reported, as EU leaders prepared to arrive, more than 30 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a Russian rocket attack on a train station in eastern Ukraine, as civilians tried to flee to safer areas, the state railway company said. that.

It is known that the Moscow offensive has driven more than 4 million people abroad, killed or injured thousands more and reduced the city to rubble, although Russian troops failed to capture major cities.

President Zelensky has urged Brussels to do more to punish Russia, including banning purchases of oil and gas from the country, asking the European Union to accept Ukraine as a full member.

While Borrell said oil sanctions were the 'big elephant in the room' with some concerns, the move to cut Russian crude could lead to a painful spike in prices for the European economy. He said a decision on exports would be discussed on Monday in Brussels.

To note, Borrell and von der Leyen are the latest Western leaders to visit Kyiv, after the prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic traveled to meet President Zelensky last month.