‘This is a victory’: smiling Zelensky promises EU membership and defeat of Russia

June 23 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday declared the European Union’s move to accept Ukraine as an accession candidate as a victory and vowed not to rest until Russia’s defeat and full membership are assured.

European Union leaders have formally approved Ukraine as a candidate to join the 27-nation bloc, a bold geopolitical move that Ukraine and the European Union have hailed as a historic moment. Read more

“This is a victory,” Zelensky said with a smile in a short video posted on his Instagram channel, noting that Ukraine had waited 30 years for this moment.

“We can defeat the enemy, rebuild Ukraine, join the European Union, and then we can rest,” he said in a low voice.

“Or maybe we won’t rest at all – our children will be humiliated. But without a doubt, we will win.”

Andrei Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, said Kyiv would quickly implement the plan needed to start accession talks.

“Ukraine will be in the EU,” he wrote on Twitter.

(Reporting by David Leungren and Ronald Popesky) Editing by Mark Porter and Sandra Mahler

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