Zelenskyy: ready to negotiate EU accession within days

Ukraine will complete the technical work needed to open all negotiating clusters in the European Union accession process within a few days, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday. He also called on EU partners to set a specific date for Ukraine’s accession to the bloc.

According to him, this is also important in the context of security guarantees and negotiations to end the war with Russia.

Zelenskyy said the new round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the US and scheduled for this week, has not been cancelled despite the weekend attacks by the US and Israel on Iran. The meeting was due to take place on 5 and 6 March in Abu Dhabi, but Kyiv is also considering Turkey or Switzerland.

The Ukrainian president also reiterated his rejection of Moscow’s demand that Ukraine withdraw from the remainder of the Donetsk region.

Zelenskyy said developments in the Middle East have not yet affected arms supplies to Ukraine from its allies. However, Russia is reportedly preparing a new wave of attacks on infrastructure, logistics and water supplies.

He added that securing sufficient supplies of air defence weapons remains a key challenge for Kyiv. Ukraine is ready to share its experience in air defence, he said, but has so far received no direct requests from Britain or other partners.

(reuters, max)