Ukraine needs no “surrogates” for EU candidate status: FM

Kiev, Ukraine | Xinhua | Kiev doesn’t support any compromise formula of granting Ukraine European Union (EU) candidate status, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Thursday.

“We do not need surrogates for EU candidate status that show second-class treatment of Ukraine and hurt the feelings of Ukrainians,” Kuleba tweeted.

He urged certain EU countries to end their policy of “strategic ambiguity” on Ukraine’s European perspective and support granting it full-fledged candidate status.

Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron said it would take decades for Ukraine to be accepted into the EU, suggesting the East European country could join a “parallel European community” while it awaits the EU membership decision.

On Feb. 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure.

The EU is set to consider Ukraine’s candidate status next month, according to various media reports.

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Xinhua