Europe ready to back EU membership for Ukraine to ensure security
European Council President Antonio Costa says EU accession is key for Ukraine's future, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says it could happen earlier than 2030.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/02/24/europe-ready-to-back-eu-membership-for-ukraine-to-ensure-security
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European Council President Antonio Costa says EU accession is key for Ukraine's future, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says it could happen earlier than 2030.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/02/24/europe-ready-to-back-eu-membership-for-ukraine-to-ensure-security
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00Top EU diplomats said Ukraine's accession to the bloc is an integral part of lasting
00:07peace.
00:08They were speaking in Kiev at a summit marking the third anniversary of the Russian invasion.
00:14Ukraine's accession to the European Union will be the most important security guarantee
00:23for the future of Ukraine.
00:26EU leaders rallied around Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky after widespread dismay
00:31that Donald Trump had dispatched top aides for preliminary talks with Russian officials
00:36without Ukrainian or European representatives.
00:40There are fears in Europe that Trump's apparent pivot to Moscow could freeze Ukraine out of
00:45the peace process entirely and end up with a deal that favours Russia.
00:51European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was still committed to
00:55admitting Ukraine.
00:56If they continue at that speed and at that quality, perhaps they could be earlier than
01:022030.
01:03So thank you very much for giving the impulse and let's work hard on all sides really to
01:09keep the momentum up.
01:12US politicians also recently ruled out granting NATO membership to Ukraine.
01:18Membership to the alliance has frequently been cited by Russian President Vladimir Putin
01:23as one of the main reasons for launching the war.
01:27And we hope that United States will continue support like all the partners.
01:33All the partners do it and we need also not to lose this unity between Europe and United
01:39States.
01:41As fighting rages on the front line, political pressure is mounting for a coordinated European
01:46effort to secure peace.
01:51But I think we in Europe, we need to get our act together.
01:55And in order to get an act together, you have to have a plan to the Americans, because if
01:59you don't have a plan to the Americans, you're not going to get involved in the negotiations.
02:03Could EU accession replace NATO accession as a security guarantee for Ukraine?
02:08According to the leaders who sat in this room, yes, it can and yes, it should.
02:12Becoming part of the bloc could provide Ukraine with the necessary deterrence against a new
02:16Russian attack in the future, they said.
02:19But there's a catch, EU accession would always lack a key player in this game of geopolitics,
02:25the United States.
02:26Jorge Liboreiro, Euronews, Kiev.