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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the European Union to offer Ukraine membership in the bloc, which he said would be a “strong response” to the unprovoked Russian invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, as he seeks to increase influence in the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Ukraine, so as to hinder their integration into Western organizations.
“This war of Russia against Ukraine is planned as a measure to strike at a united Europe. “The larger community is a stronger answer,” he said on May 5, when asked about his official candidacy for membership.
The candidacy opens the door to formal membership negotiations, a process that includes the adoption of EU laws, and the fulfillment of criteria.
Ukraine has followed the path of European integration since the fall of former President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.
The 27-nation European bloc has not expanded in nearly a decade, due to low support from key countries and slow economic growth.
Zelensky said that the European bloc should make Ukraine a candidate country “immediately”, and that with an accelerated procedure.
He also called on the West to play an active role in rebuilding the country after the end of the war.
Referring to the Marshall Plan, a broad US initiative to rebuild Europe after World War II – and as a shield against Moscow – Zelensky said Ukraine needed an “international strategic plan”, including money, technology and specialists.
The Russian occupation has devastated Ukraine’s economy, damaged billions of dollars worth of infrastructure – including airports, bridges, ports and numerous power plants.
Thousands of people have been killed and over five million others have fled the country.
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