Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine Deputy PM affirms Kyiv will get EU status by June

Nearly two weeks after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a completed questionnaire for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olga Stefanishyna asserted that the country will get EU status by next month.

"Ukraine should be granted the status of an EU candidate country during the upcoming meeting of EU leaders that is planned for June 2022," Stefanishyna was quoted as saying by the Strana.ua Telegram channel on Saturday.

This came nearly two months after Zelenskyy signed an application for membership of his country in the European Union. After signing the application, Zelsnskyy explained, "Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing." 

When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the Ukrainian national capital, she handed Zelenskyy a questionnaire to begin the country's accession process. According to Ursula, the questionnaire would lay the groundwork for further discussions on the country's EU membership.

Zelenskyy urges Russian soldiers not to fight

Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning.

On February 24, the Russian troops started a military operation against Ukraine. Since then, it has been bombarding several cities in Ukraine, resulting in the killing of thousands of civilians. On April 22, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to his Russian counterpart to end the war immediately but added that he would not let the Russian forces take a single piece of Ukrainian land.

He also urged Russian soldiers not to fight in Ukraine, saying they would die as well. 

“Every Russian soldier can still save his own life. It’s better for you to survive in Russia than to perish on our land,” he said.

Meanwhile, a group of 25 civilians was evacuated from the territory of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where the remaining Ukrainian forces have been hiding since the takeover of the port city by the Russian troops, Sputnik reported on Saturday. 

With inputs from ANI

Image: President.gov.ua/@StefanishynaO/Twitter