President Volodymyr Zelensky met with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola during his visit to Lviv, a western Ukrainian city, on March 4.
Zelensky thanked Metsola for her leadership in supporting Ukraine and for the European Parliament's decision to adopt a resolution supporting Ukraine and granting the country the status of a candidate for EU membership in June last year.
“Ukraine aims to complete the implementation of the European Commission's recommendations and begin negotiations on joining the EU this year,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine obtained EU candidate status in June after applying for membership a few days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Membership in the EU has long been a key aspiration for Ukraine, which is reflected in the Ukrainian Constitution among the main goals.
This is Metsola's second visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. During this trip, she also met with Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.
Metsola promised that cooperation between Ukraine and the EU's parliament would "only grow stronger."
“Good to be back in Ukraine,” Metsola tweeted on the evening of March 3. “With those brave people who inspired the world. With those heroes who refuse to give in. With those who sacrificed everything for our values. With Europeans whose home is in our European Union.”
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