President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that it is important for Ukraine and Moldova to continue progressing towards the EU in a synchronised manner.

Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy noted that he had a detailed conversation with Macron about Ukraine’s path to European integration.

"We agreed to work on finding solutions that will allow the first negotiation cluster to be opened as soon as possible. It is important that Ukraine and Moldova continue to move forward in sync," the Ukrainian president wrote.

The discussion also covered the functioning of Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure. Zelenskyy assured Macron that the presidential draft law guarantees the independence and effectiveness of anti-corruption institutions and prevents Russian influence over them.

Zelenskyy also informed Macron of the outcomes of the third meeting with Russia in Istanbul.

"We managed to agree on a new prisoner exchange. We are awaiting a response to our proposal to hold a meeting at the highest level by the end of August. Representatives from Europe must be certainly present at this meeting," he emphasised.

The leaders also discussed Ukraine’s key defence needs.

"First and foremost,strengthening our air defense. We need reliable protection against Russian missiles and drones. We talked about the supply of additional missiles for the SAMP/T and Crotale systems," Zelenskyy said.

Background:

• Moldova aims to begin EU accession talks before the parliamentary elections in September in order to counter Russian disinformation in the country about the EU.
• Due to Hungary’s blockade of Ukraine’s accession negotiations, there were concerns about splitting the Ukraine-Moldova package to avoid undermining Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s position ahead of the elections. However, the EU remains optimistic that Hungary’s veto can be overcome shortly after Denmark assumes the EU Council presidency, and this scenario has so far been avoided.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon !