Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez expresses "unequivocal" support to Ukraine's EU candidacy

Kyiv [Ukraine], July 1 : Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Saturday reaffirmed European Union's "unequivocal" commitment to Ukraine's bid to join the 27-nation bloc.

He arrived in Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Spain's first day of EU presidency.

Ukraine applied for EU membership just five days after Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022, and received candidacy status several months later on June 23 in a strong signal of support from Brussels.

"Speaking of the European Union's perspective on Ukraine's EU accession, my being here on the first day of the six-month presidency...demonstrates a clear and unequivocal political commitment on the part of the community institutions in this respect," he said in a joint news conference with Zelensky, France 24 reported.

Ukrainian President also thanked the Spanish PM for visiting Kyiv and also pressed for the NATO bid citing "wider space of peace in Europe".

"During our meeting with Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez @sanchezcastejon, we managed to discuss several issues. First of all, it is protection against Russian aggression. I thank Spain for supporting Ukraine on the way to joining the European Union. We discussed the approaching start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union," Zelenskyy said on Twitter.

He added, "The approaching accession to the European Union motivates our defenders a lot because it convinces that Europe sees at what cost our people protect exactly the same values already protected for every country in the European Union. I am also grateful for the support of our movement in NATO. It is now the obvious fact - the wider NATO is in Europe, the wider the space of peace is in Europe".

Earlier, the European Union said that they will continue to provide assistance in support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes.

"The European Union will continue to provide strong financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes," the statement released on Friday.

In the statement, the European Council also reconfirmed the readiness to provide sustainable military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes, notably through the EU Military Assistance Mission and the European Peace Facility.