Ukraine's president signs formal application to join the European Union

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he had signed a formal application for Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

Zelensky asked the European Union to allow Ukraine to obtain membership immediately under a special procedure as it defends itself against invading Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the European Union on Monday to "immediately" include his country in the bloc, as Russia's offensive against the pro-Western country entered its fifth day.

"We appeal to the European Union to immediately include Ukraine in the European Union through a new special procedure... Our goal is to be together on the side of all Europeans and the most important thing is to be on an equal footing. I am sure that is fair and possible," Zelensky said in a video address.

A senior European Union official said on Monday that EU leaders may discuss the possible annexation of Ukraine during an informal summit on March 10-11, adding that the issue is important to Ukraine in discussions with Russia on ending the conflict.

"I think probably one of the reasons why this is so important to President Zelensky is discussions with Russia to find a solution," the official said, referring to talks to end the conflict.

But he indicated that no process has started yet.

"With regard to the (Ukraine's) application to join the European Union, I think it is important not to get ahead of events," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Obviously no request has been received yet, but this whole question about the situation in Ukraine is something that is on the leaders' minds."

The official added that Ukraine has an association agreement with the 27-nation bloc, but it wants to become a full member, something Russia opposes.

On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union looked forward to welcoming Ukraine into the European Union.

In this regard, she explained, "The union is working to integrate the Ukrainian market into the European single market. We have very close cooperation, as Ukraine is part of Europe, and we look forward to being part of the bloc."

However, European Commission Vice President Eric Mammer announced on Monday that any formal application to join the European Union must pass through the European Council, which accordingly opens discussions.

In this regard, he said, "We have heard the call of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to adopt a quick procedure to include his country "immediately" in the bloc, but I repeat once again that the European Commission is working under the mandate and does not specify its course," he said, referring to the discussion of joining the bloc. The bloc must be decided by the European Council on the basis of several procedures.

In recent years, there has been a stagnation in the European Union's efforts to expand after it was among its priorities, as some richer countries fear that this will cause a new wave of immigration, while some applicants find it difficult to implement the imposed reforms, especially with regard to democratic standards.

In October, European Union leaders told their Western Balkan counterparts during a summit in Slovenia that the bloc was still committed to the process of annexing their country, but without any tangible progress in their frozen accession files.

No specific timeline or commitments for the expansion have been set.

On the other hand, Ukraine's Energy Minister appealed on Monday to the European Union to integrate Ukraine into the European electricity transmission network, saying that the Russian invasion of his country means that Ukraine can no longer buy energy from Belarus or Russia.

"We have demonstrated the seriousness of our intentions to integrate with the European system even at this difficult time of war," Herman Galushenko added in a statement. Operating independently, it has proven its reliability and security of electricity supply to consumers."

According to him.

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