In kyiv, Macron, Scholz and Draghi say they are ready to grant Ukraine EU candidate status
Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Mario Draghi during their visit to Irpin in the suburbs of kyiv on June 16, 2022. AP - Ludovic Marin
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
The French, German and Italian leaders as well as their Romanian counterpart said on Thursday that they were ready to "
immediately
" grant Ukraine the status of candidate for membership of the European Union, and to support it militarily "
as long as it will have to
", during an unprecedented visit to Kiev.
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"
All four of us support the status of immediate candidate for membership
," said French President Emmanuel Macron, after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Head of Government Italian Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
"
This status will be accompanied by a roadmap and will also involve taking into account the situation of the Western Balkans and the neighborhood, in particular of Moldova
", added the French leader, who holds the rotating presidency of the EU. until June 30.
Olaf Scholz also said he hoped for a "
positive decision
" from the European Union on granting candidate status to Ukraine and neighboring Moldova.
It will be necessary to “
do everything necessary
” to “find unanimity” within the EU to launch these candidacies, he added.
A decision on June 23 and 24
"
Today, the most important message of our visit is that Italy wants Ukraine in the European Union
", also affirmed Mario Draghi.
“
We are at a pivotal moment in our history.
The Ukrainian people defend every day the values of democracy and freedom which are the basis of the European project, of our project.
We cannot drag our feet and delay this process
” of accession which will take time, he continued.
► To read and listen: Visit of Macron, Scholz and Draghi to kyiv: "This is a strong political signal for Ukraine"
The Twenty-Seven must take a decision on this question unanimously at the European summit on 23 and 24 June.
Among the 27, the countries of Eastern Europe support this candidacy, but others such as Denmark or the Netherlands have expressed reservations.
President Zelensky stressed that the European Union was “
on the eve of historic decisions
”.
"Ukrainians have already earned the right (...) to obtain candidate status" and are "
ready to work
" for Ukraine to become a "
full member of the EU
", he said. underline.
Military support
The French and German leaders, who arrived in kyiv in the morning on a special night train, also pledged to continue their military support for kyiv.
Emmanuel Macron announced for his part that France would deliver to Ukraine
"
six additional Caesars
"
, these self-propelled guns renowned for their precision and of which 12 copies had according to him already been delivered.
“Ukraine must be able to resist and win (…)
France has been alongside Ukraine since day one
(…)
we are at the side of the Ukrainians without ambiguity
,” he said. earlier Thursday during a brief visit with his European counterparts to Irpin, a war-torn suburb of Kyiv.
The comments you reported have sometimes been distorted or decontextualized.
Emmanuel Macron explains why he called not to "humiliate" Russia
RFI
The French president has been widely criticized in Ukraine in recent days for having asserted that Russia should not be "
humiliated
", and for maintaining a regular dialogue with Vladimir Putin.
"
The decision is up to President Macron, but I'm not sure the Russian president is ready to hear anything,
" Volodymyr Zelensky said in response to a reporter's question.
"
It's not just about Emmanuel, I don't believe any leader in the world today can individually force Russia to stop the war
."
(
With
AFP)
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Ukraine
France
Emmanuel Macron
Germany
Olaf Scholz
Klaus Iohannis
Italy
Mario Draghi
Volodymyr Zelensky
European Union