Netherlands vows to back Ukraine over EU membership bid; Zelenskyy expresses gratitude

In a major development, hours after the European Commission on Friday recommended to designate Ukraine as a candidate for European Union (EU) membership, Netherlands' Prime Minister swiftly announced his support for Kyiv in obtaining the 27-nation bloc membership. Calling the European Commission’s recommendation a "reasonable compromise", Dutch Premier Mark Rutte said both proponents and contenders of Ukraine’s candidacy can agree with this conclusion. Meanwhile, Wopke Hoekstra, Netherlands' Foreign Affairs Minister, said that the cabinet has found Ukraine's candidature both "balanced" and "sensible" and added that his country will support Ukraine for the sake of unity in Europe.  

"As a cabinet, we have said: we find this in balance, we think this is sensible. So let's embrace this for the sake of unity in Europe. The Netherlands is positive about this," RTL News quoted Hoekstra as saying. However, he stressed that due process must be followed while awarding Ukraine with the tag of an EU member. Earlier, the same was also echoed by the Dutch PM where he reportedly urged the EU Commission to take a "rigorous" conditionality in taking Ukraine forward.

Zelenskyy hails Netherland's step to support Ukraine for EU membership

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to the microblogging platform and thanked the Dutch government for supporting Ukraine's EU membership bid. "A busy & productive day ended with a conversation with Mark Rutte. Thanked for the support in granting Ukraine candidate status for EU membership. Informed of the situation on the front. Discussed security support for Ukraine. Thanked for Netherland's substantial aid. We hope it'll be continued," he wrote on Twitter. Notably, after the onset of the war, Zelenskyy signed an application for membership of his country in the European Union. While explaining the reason for joining the 27-member bloc, Zelsnskyy affirmed, "Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing."

What EU membership means for Ukraine?

Kyiv has an association agreement with the EU, but it has long shown interest in joining the bloc. Ukraine's admission to the union holds greater importance amid the ongoing war against Moscow. Its admission will benefit Ukraine militarily since EU members are obliged by a mutual defence provision that mandates them to assist a country if it is the victim of military aggression on its soil. Besides, if it gets EU membership, it would boost the country's economic situation which has reached a new low in the last four decades. Apart from this, the EU membership will ensure Ukraine avail of extra benefits such as free movement within the EU and a slew of other rights provided to EU nationals.   

Image: AP