Ukraine FM Kuleba says Emmanuel Macron convinced Olaf Scholz to back Kyiv's EU candidacy

Amid the ongoing ruthless war between Moscow and Kyiv, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba asserted that it was French President Emmanuel Macron who convinced German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to support Ukraine's European Union (EU) candidacy. Notably, on June 23, the 27-member bloc granted candidate status to Ukraine for EU membership.

"I have to say that French President Emmanuel Macron played a very important role in finding the right approach in communication with the Chancellor of Germany, no matter how strange it may sound to some," Kuleba said," European Pravda reported. 

Kuleba claimed Germany and the Netherlands were the main opponents of Ukraine's candidacy status. According to him, both countries believed that Ukraine should be given something but not necessarily the legally binding guarantee of EU membership. The Ukrainian minister also heaped praise on Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi for openly coming out in Ukraine's support for the candidacy status.

"A very important role was played by the Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Draghi. There was a meeting of the European Council where everyone was sitting in silence. Draghi took responsibility and said: 'I support, I am in favour,'" Kuleba added. 

Ukraine already implemented 70% of European rules, norms & standards: Von der Leyen

Earlier on June 16, Scholz, Macron and Draghi had visited Kyiv and officially announced their support for granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership. The visit by these European leaders had come just a few days before the EU summit in Brussels. Later during the summit, European leaders approved the decision to grant Ukraine and Moldova the status of a candidate for accession. Meanwhile, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine has already implemented roughly 70% of European rules, norms and standards. However, there is still more work to be done in the areas of the rule of law, oligarchs, anti-corruption, and fundamental rights.

What EU membership means for Ukraine?

Ukraine has an association agreement with the European Union, and it has long shown interest in joining the bloc. Ukraine's admission to the bloc holds greater significance amid its war against Russia. Its admission will benefit Ukraine militarily since EU members are obliged by a mutual defence provision that mandates them to assist a country if it is the victim of military aggression on its soil. Furthermore, joining the EU would boost Ukraine's economy and provide it with extra benefits such as free movement within the EU and a slew of other rights provided to EU nationals. 

Image: AP