Ukraine President Zelenskyy signs application for EU membership

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed an application for membership of his country in the European Union, informed the Ukrainian Parliament on Monday. "Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing," Zelensky said during a video address, The Hill reported.

Kyiv: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed an application for membership of his country in the European Union, informed the Ukrainian Parliament on Monday.

Taking to Twitter, the official account of the Parliament of Ukraine stated: "President @ZelenskyyUa has signed application for the membership of Ukraine in the European Union."

Deputy Head of the President's Office, Andriy Sybiga, said that Zelenskyy has just signed a historically significant document: Ukraine's European Union membership application, Ukrainska Pravda reported. He also signed a joint request with the head of the Verkhovna Rada [Parliament] of Ukraine and Prime Minister Dmytro Shmygal.

The documents are already on their way to Brussels. Zelenskyy said: "I have signed Ukraine's European Union membership application. I am sure that we can achieve this." According to EU procedure, the membership application has to be submitted to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Council is currently headed by France.

Ukraine's application may be important for Zelenskyy, given that this issue could potentially be used in the talks with Russia, because the European Union is a project built around peace and using dialogue to resolve conflict, Ukrainska Pravd reported. On Monday morning, Zelenskyy addressed the European Union regarding Ukraine's accession under a special procedure. According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainians deserve EU membership.

After Russia's invasion, several EU countries called upon the EU to give Ukraine a pathway to membership, and Slovakia proposed a special procedure for Ukraine's accession to the EU. Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell today said that Brussels is determined to send additional weapons supplies to Ukraine. Earlier, Zelensky appealed to be admitted to the European Union amid the ongoing tension between Moscow and Kyiv.

"Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing," Zelensky said during a video address, The Hill reported.

This comes at a time when the European Union on Sunday said that it will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and equipment to Ukraine and also announced a slew of fresh sanctions against Russia. "We are stepping up our support for Ukraine," Borrell said.

Notably, at least 11 people were killed and a dozen others were injured in Russian shelling on Ukraine's Kharkiv city on Monday.

"The Russian enemy is bombing residential areas," Oleg Sinegubov, wrote on the Telegram messaging app, saying, "As a result of the bombardments that are ongoing, we cannot call on the emergency services. Currently there are 11 dead and dozens wounded", he said.

On Sunday morning, two large explosions were heard in Ukraine's capital Kyiv. On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin today signed a decree on special economic measures against the US and its allies.

Putin signed a decree "On the application of special economic measures against the United States and countries that have joined them," citing Kremlin press service, reported Sputnik.

Meanwhile, negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine to resolve the ongoing conflict between the two countries have ended in the Gomel region of Belarus.

With agency Inputs