World News

Ukraine lands victory in EU vote on candidate status

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center, and French President Emmanuel Macron, right, speak with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, June 23, 2022. European Union leaders are expected to approve Thursday a proposal to grant Ukraine a EU candidate status, a first step on the long toward membership. The stalled enlargement process to include Western Balkans countries in the bloc is also on their agenda at the summit in Brussels. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Leaders from the European Union on Thursday voted to grant Ukraine and Moldova candidate status to join the 27-member nation bloc in an important step towards full membership.

The decision is the first of many steps needed to grant the nations EU membership which will enable them to share deeper economic integration and political cooperation.

Though the EU is not a military alliance, it will also enable greater security ties and cement Ukraine as an independent democratic nation in the wake of Russia’s war efforts.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, center, and French President Emmanuel Macron, right, speak with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, June 23, 2022. European Union leaders are expected to approve Thursday a proposal to grant Ukraine a EU candidate status, a first step on the long toward membership. The stalled enlargement process to include Western Balkans countries in the bloc is also on their agenda at the summit in Brussels. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

BIDEN ATTENDING G7, NATO SUMMITS AMID ‘THE MOST SERIOUS SECURITY SITUATION IN DECADES’

President of the European Council Charles Michel called the move “historic” and said, “Today marks a crucial step on your path towards the EU.”

“Congratulations [President Volodymyr Zelenskyy] and [President Maia Sandu] and the people of Ukraine and Moldova,” he added. “Our future is together.”

The vote Thursday came just under a week after President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen threw her weight behind Kyiv and recommended it for candidate status. 

But Ukraine still faces several hurdles it must jump through before it can officially join the EU nation bloc.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially requested EU membership days after Russia invaded on Feb. 24.

But the war-torn nation will now have to prove it stands up to the economic and democratic standards required by the union that was first created in the aftermath of World War II.

It is unclear if the EU will expect Ukraine to prove the same level of economic stability it has demanded from other nations seeking membership, but some have warned against prioritizing Kyiv over other applicants. 

Austrian ministers Alexander Schallenberg and Karoline Edtstadler reportedly sent a letter last month to the EU’s top diplomat Joseph Borrell warning against…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at FOX News : World…