There is broad support among EU leaders for granting Ukraine candidate status

RIGA - There is a broad support among the European Union's (EU) leaders for making Ukraine a candidate for EU membership, which means that a positive decision on this matter will likely be taken at this week's summit, European Commission  Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis (New Unity) said in an interview with Latvian Television. 

As reported, the European Commission last Friday recommended that Ukraine and Moldova be granted EU candidate status, but to finalize the decision it has to be greenlighted by all 27 member states of the bloc. EU leaders are expected to debate Ukraine's bid for EU candidacy at their summit in Brussels on June 23 and 24.

"We see that there is a fairly broad support [among EU leaders], so we can hope for a positive result also at the summit," Dombrovskis said in the televised interview. 

The EU commissioner indicated that the granting of EU candidacy is primarily a gesture of political solidarity on the backdrop of Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, it is a geopolitical response, showing that countries like Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have the right to decide their own fate, choose their geopolitical orientation and not be left in Russia's sphere of influence.