Ukraine expects EU-wide support for candidacy to fasten bloc

Ukraine expects EU-wide support for candidacy to fasten bloc

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian official overseeing the country's push to fasten the European Union said Wednesday that she's "100%" sure all 27 EU nations will agree with Ukraine's EU candidacy throughout a summit this week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed similar optimism, calling it a "crucial moment" for Ukraine. Ukraine's belonging provide is the top order of work for EU leaders gathering inside Brussels.

In an meeting accompanied by The Associated Press, Deputy Prime Minister for European with every one other accompanied by Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said the decision could go nearer while in a short time while Thursday, when the leaders' summit starts.

Stefanishyna said the Netherlands, Sweden with every one other accompanied by Denmark had been skeptical concerning starting accession talks accompanied by Ukraine while it is fighting Russia's invasion nevertheless are now supportive. Asked how optimistic she was that Ukraine would exist accepted while an EU candidate, she said: "The day earlier to the summit starts, I tin speak 100%."

The EU's administrative upper limb threw its heaviness behind Ukraine's candidacy last week. Stefanishyna described the European Commission's endorsement while "a game-changer" that had gash the ground from under "the legs of those most hesitating."

She described the decision while vitally important for Ukraine while its fights for survival opposed to Russia with every one other accompanied by said candidacy status would validate decades of attempt by the country to convey its institutions with every one other accompanied by markets up to EU norms.

Russia-Ukraine war

Microsoft: Russian cyber spying targets 42 Ukraine allies

Fishing feud at extremity of the world split US with every one other accompanied by UK over Russia

Fishing feud at extremity of the world split US with every one other accompanied by UK over Russia

China says Ukraine crisis has sounded terror for humanity

"It's extremely important for us to place it inside stone that we did so much, with every one other accompanied by we will do a a large amount of more," Stefanishyna told the AP. "And inside the hour dated of war -- when each item is operating -- it's extremely important."

EU candidate status, which tin exist granted only if the existing subscriber countries concur unanimously, is the earliest step on the highway in the direction of membership. It does not provide some safety guarantees or an automatic just to fasten the bloc. nevertheless does not present with an automatic just to fasten the bloc, with every one other accompanied by doesn't involve some safety guarantees.

Ukraine's filled belonging will be contingent on on whether the war-torn country tin satisfy political with every one other accompanied by monetary conditions. Potential newcomers need to demonstrate that they meet standards on democratic principles with every one other accompanied by must absorb 80,000 pages of rules covering each item from commerce with every one other accompanied by immigration to fertilizers with every one other accompanied by the regulation of law.

To assist candidates, the bloc tin provide technical with every one other accompanied by monetary assistance. European officials have said that Ukraine has by that hour dated implemented concerning 70% of the EU rules, norms with every one other accompanied by standards, nevertheless have too pointed to corruption with every one other accompanied by the need for deep political with every one other accompanied by monetary reforms.

In a virtual talk to Canadian college students on Wednesday, Zelenskyy described the Brussels summit while "two decisive days" that he too thinks will consequence inside Ukraine becoming a candidate for EU membership.

"That is extremely crucial little while for us. For some people inside my team are saying this is exist fond of going into the illumination from the darkness," the Ukrainian president said. "In terms of our armed force with every one other accompanied by society, this is a large motivator, a large motive element for the unity with every one other accompanied by victory of the Ukraine people."

In other developments:

— Press freedom category Reporters Without Borders said a Ukrainian photojournalist with every one other accompanied by a fighter accompanying him become visible to have been "coldly executed" throughout the earliest weeks of the war inside Ukraine while they searched inside Russian-occupied woods for a lost camera drone. The category sent investigators to the woods northern of the capital, Kyiv, where the bodies of Maks Levin with every one other accompanied by serviceman Oleksiy Chernyshov were found April 1. The category said its team counted 14 bullet holes inside the burned hulk of the pair's automobile with every one other accompanied by found litter seemingly left-hand by Russian soldiers.

—Russian forces have captured trio villages inside the laboriously contested eastern neighbourhood of Ukraine, a local official said. Gov. Serhiy Haidai told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the villages are a few miles from the city of Lysychansk, the last city inside the area still completely under Ukrainian control. The Russians have too taken a planned coal village, Toshkivka, enabling them to intensify attacks, Haidai said.

—Russian officials said a drone strike caused a blaze at an lubricant processing plant inside southwestern Russia on Wednesday. The blaze engulfed a small portion of machinery at the Novoshakhtinsk plant inside the Rostov-on-Don region. Authorities said that dozens of firefighters fast contained the blaze with every one other accompanied by no indeed one was hurt. The plant said inside a statement that the blaze was caused by a strike carried not here by set of two drones, describing it while a "terrorist" act. It didn't present with details, nevertheless the condition report agency Tass reported that set of two Ukrainian drones flew over the plant with every one other accompanied by one slammed into a hotness exchanger, triggering the fire. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed the strike.

—Turkey's protection management dividing said Wednesday that a Turkish ship was allowed to depart from the Russian-occupied Azov Sea port of Mariupol following talks in the centre of Turkish with every one other accompanied by Russian protection management dividing officials. A management dividing statement said the Turkish freighter, Azov Concord, was the earliest overseas ship to exist allowed to depart from Mariupol. The management dividing did not speak what the freighter was carrying. The war has halted critical cereal exports by sea. Turkish with every one other accompanied by Russian military delegations met inside Moscow on Tuesday to talk over a possible deal for the shipment of Ukraine's cereal into and not here of the Black Sea.

—French armed forces conducted a astonishment military exercise inside Estonia, deploying additional than 100 paratroopers inside the Baltic country that neighbors Russia, the French protection management dividing said Wednesday. The airborne operation, dubbed "Thunder Lynx," enabled, at short notice, the dropping of concerning 100 French paratroopers "over an area secured by Estonian soldiers," the statement said. The exercise inside Estonia, a NATO ally, was executed while an take deed of "strategic solidarity" amid Russia's war inside Ukraine.

___

Sam Petrequin inside Brussels, Hanna Arhirova inside Kyiv with every one other accompanied by Rob Gillies inside Toronto contributed.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukraine expects EU-wide support for candidacy to fasten bloc