Road of Ukraine, Moldova leads Europe, this journey is unstoppable

TALLINN - The heads of state in Brussels on Thursday granted Ukraine and Moldova the status of official candidates for membership of the European Union, according to Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, the EU, Ukraine and Moldova have made their choice and this choice is for democracy, freedom and decent human life.

"Opening the door to new arrivals in the European Union is geopolitically the region's greatest advance since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The accession of Ukraine and Moldova does not only mean that these peoples will have embraced Western values for good, but also shows the decline of the Russian and Kremlin mentality and the loss of control over many countries and nations," Kallas said.

The prime minister added that Estonia has been one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed this yesterday.

"Estonia, both as a country and as individuals, has helped Ukraine enormously, and it is all the more important for us that they gained the candidate status," Kallas added.

"I also thank all the diplomats who have put a lot of effort and work into the decision in recent months and believed in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia," the prime minister added.

Georgia also took a step forward towards the EU, with the heads of state giving the country a strong perspective on becoming a member of the European Union.

Ukraine applied for EU membership a few days after the start of the Russian invasion, on Feb. 28 this year. The European Commission has presented a seven-point roadmap to Ukraine and will submit a first assessment of the implementation at the end of this year.