New Delhi: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially signed the application to join the European Union on late Monday evening. The step came amid aggravated Russian aggression which has left Ukraine struggling.
Zelensky posted a photo of him signing the application which in itself is symbolic. He wrote in a social media post along with the picture of him, “Today I signed the application for Ukraine's membership in the European Union. I'm sure it's feasible.”
According to news agency AP, Russia has always been wary of the West trying to pull Ukraine on its side.
Meanwhile, on Monday, a meeting between high-level officials from Ukraine and Russia also took place that aimed to stop the Russian assault in Ukraine. However, it concluded with no solid agreement. However, another round of talks is likely to take place soon.
Although Ukraine’s signing of the application can be seen as more of a symbolic move to show Russia its intention because on the ground, it is many years away from joining the 27 Nation bloc.
In order to join the EU, Ukraine must get unanimous approval from all 27 nations. And overall consensus has been that Ukraine’s deep-rooted corruption might make it difficult to win an acceptance, as per AP.
Amid all the speculation, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with Euronews, “We want them in the European Union.”
As the Russian assault in Ukraine is far from over, the EU has been putting economic sanctions on Russia. It has also banned Russian flights in its airspace apart from blocking major Russian banks.