President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the decision of the European Commission to recommend granting Ukraine the status of a candidate member of the EU and said that he was counting on a positive final decision next week.

" This is the first step towards EU membership, which will certainly bring our victory closer.. Thanks to President Ursula von der Leyen and every member of the EC for a historic decision. I look forward to positive EUCO results next week,"

I welcome the positive opinion of the @EU_Commission on granting? candidate status. This is the first step towards EU membership, which will certainly bring our victory closer.. Thank you President @vonderleyen and every member of the EC for a historic decision. Looking forward to positive #EUCO results next week.

– Vladimir Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) June 17, 2022.

In turn, Prime Minister Denys Shmihal said that the status of a candidate and movement towards membership in the European Union will help Ukraine to effectively restore the country..

" … Will help Ukraine to effectively restore and rebuild the country in accordance with European practices and standards,” he wrote on Telegram.

Shmyhal noted that as a candidate country and a future member of the European Union, Ukraine is ready to make a significant contribution to the strategic development and strengthening of the EU through cooperation within the framework of the European Green Deal, energy security, food stability and better compatibility.

Head of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk called the positive recommendations of the European Commission for Ukraine a winning goal in favor of Ukraine and peace in Europe in a diplomatic battle of grand scale.

“This is a great recognition of the efforts of Ukraine, its people. We have overcome a colossal distance to be on the final stretch before the EU summit. Our fate will be decided in a week in Brussels. And it depends on the decision of the Council of the EU whether the Russian narrative that “Ukraine is not expected in the EU” will fall apart like a house of cards,” the speaker said on his Facebook page..

According to him, Ukraine is moving towards a European home with "

Vice Prime Minister for European Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanyshina noted that Ukraine is counting on June 23-24 for a positive decision of all the leaders of the European Union on granting candidate status based on the assessment provided by the European Commission.

" Candidate status will open even more opportunities for Ukraine to speed up this work,"

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Why did some members of the European Union try to slow down the issue of obtaining the status of an EU candidate country for Ukraine and oppose it to the Western Balkans? Are we really competitors with six countries in this region? Read about it in the article by Volodymyr Tsybulnyk “Will European integration quarrel between Ukraine and the Western Balkans?”?