“I told in detail about the situation at the front and about the risk that it will escalate, as well as the basic needs to strengthen the defense of Ukraine.
We expect that during Sweden's EU presidency we will be able to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession," Zelensky writes on Telegram.
In the post, the president writes that he also invited Sweden's prime minister to a personal meeting in Kyiv.
Highest priority
Ulf Kristersson has commented on the meeting on his social channels.
"Ukraine is the highest priority when Sweden is EU chairman," writes the prime minister on Twitter.
On Facebook, he develops his reasoning and writes that the two leaders discussed how Sweden and the EU can best support Ukraine.
"The EU will also play an essential role in the reconstruction of Ukraine."
Ukraine has candidate status
In February 2022, Ukraine applied for membership in the EU and during the summer the country received candidate status.
The next step in the process is to start membership negotiations.
Sweden holds the presidency of the EU Council of Ministers during the first half of 2023. During the presidency, Sweden will prioritize continued economic and military support to Ukraine as well as support for Ukraine's path towards the EU, Ulf Kristersson said in December in connection with the presentation of the Swedish presidency's political priorities .