BRUSSELS, 06/18/2022 (AFP) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed Brussels’ support for Ukraine’s candidacy in the European Union (EU), “good news” for the country, whose eastern Donbass region is suffering from “bitter fighting” against Russian ones troops stand.
Yesterday, Friday (17th), the European Commission issued a strong signal of support for Ukraine in its bid to retain EU candidate status, a boost that could put the country on the bloc’s list of candidates as early as next week .
The bloc’s 27 member countries are expected to endorse the candidacy at next week’s Brussels summit. Immediately, Kyiv already has the support of powers like France, Germany and Italy.
While this is the beginning of a process that could take years, Zelenskyy said he expected “a positive outcome” at the summit. Ukraine “deserves good news,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had “nothing against” Ukraine’s admission to the EU.
“Unlike NATO, the EU is not a military alliance” and “joining economic unions is a sovereign decision…of the Ukrainian people,” Putin said at the plenary session of the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.
However, he added that if Ukraine were admitted to the EU, it would become “a semicolony” of Western countries.
Visit This Saturday (18th), the President, who has not left the state capital since the beginning of the war, visited the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, where he inspected a residential building that had been badly damaged by bombing.
A video released by the Ukrainian Council Presidency shows Zelenky inspecting a badly damaged apartment building. There is a big hole in the building through which you can see the interior of the apartments.
The President also attended a meeting with local officials in a basement where he presented them with awards for their bravery.
According to the Office of the President, “they talked about the state of the economy, the resumption of the water supply and the situation in agriculture”.
This eviction comes a day after a Russian attack that left two dead and 20 wounded in this port and industrial city, which was home to around half a million people before the war.
The city is a target of Russian attacks as it is on the way to Odessa, Ukraine’s main port, 130 km to the southwest.
More “destruction” On the ground, fierce fighting is devastating the cities of the Donbass region, where vast areas have been occupied by Russian troops.
“Now the fiercest battle is taking place near Severodonetsk,” said Lugansk region governor Sergei Gaidai, adding that Russian forces did not control the entire city.
Gaidai also reported “difficult” fighting in Toshkivska and Zoloth and reported that the city of Lysychansk, separated from Severodonetsk by a river, was being “hard bombed”.
Gaidai also described more “destruction” at the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk, where 568 refugees live, including 38 children. And in Lysychansk, residents are preparing to flee.
“We give up everything and leave. Nobody can survive such an attack,” said teacher Alla Bor, who is waiting for the moment with her soninlaw Volodymyr and her 14yearold grandson.
“We left the house. We left food for our dog. It’s inhuman, but what else can we do?” he asks.
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