President Zelenskyy comments on results of Ukraine-EU summit

This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a briefing following the Ukraine-EU summit.

"A separate topic of our talks was Ukraine's further integration into the EU. I would like to note that despite the full-scale war, progress in the implementation of the Association Agreement is obvious. As of today, 72% of our commitments have been fulfilled. At the summit, we also presented progress in implementing the recommendations of the European Commission. For the first time, our bilateral document, the joint statement of the summit, sets out our intention to start negotiations on accession and to do it as soon as possible," the President noted.

He added that Ukraine has already begun preparations for these negotiations and is awaiting the relevant decisions of the European Commission and the European Council.

"The goal is to start negotiations this year. I would say that this is not just a goal, it is a target. Among the important achievements is the progress in Ukraine's integration into the EU internal market. We have approved a priority action plan for 2023-2024. Its implementation will make Ukraine a de facto member of the EU at the level of economic sectors - industry, agriculture, energy, digital services, transport, finance, customs," Zelenskyy emphasized.

According to the president, the two European integration days in Kyiv yielded powerful results.

"This result is a positive assessment of the implementation of 7 recommendations, the approval of an action plan for further integration into the EU common market, the decision to allocate EUR 1 billion for the restoration and additional financing of defense, the decision to accelerate the preparation of the 10th package of sanctions against the aggressor, the decision to start joining the EU, the EU's support for the Ukrainian Peace Formula, and the need to hold a summit on it," the president summed up.