Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed an application seeking membership of the European Union for his war-torn country, hours after asking the European bloc to allow Ukraine become a member under a special procedure “immediately” as it defends itself from invasion by Russian forces. He was accompanied by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Chairman of Ukraine’s unicameral Parliament.
The official account of the Ukraine’s Parliament tweeted: “President @ZelenskyyUa has signed application for the membership of #Ukraine in the European Union. This is a historic moment!” The post was accompanied by a photo of the President signing the application.
Russian and Ukrainian officials held ceasefire talks earlier today on the Belarusian border, as Russia’s diplomatic and economic isolation deepened four days after its invasion of Ukraine.
According to Russian media Sputnik, negotiations between the two warring sides have ended with negotiators returning to Moscow and Kyiv for consultations before the next round of talks.
Ukraine has been holding up valiantly against Russia, which has attacked the country from the north, south and east, despite stern warnings of unprecedented sanctions from the West. Russia has been bombarding key defence and civil installations inside Ukraine since Thursday, when it launched an all-out attack at the crack of dawn. Heavy fighting and airstrikes across the country over the last five days has killed 32 civilians, Ukraine has said.
In response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, Belgium, Finland and Canada have joined other countries that have banned Russian planes from their airspace. The West, led by the US, has also announced a new set of economic sanctions on Russia.
