Ukrainian official petitions for EU candidate status

BRUSSELS: The president of Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday made a lively plea to nominate his country as a candidate for EU membership.
The move would bring the war-torn nation closer to the European Union without guaranteeing its entry.
Ruslan Stefanchuk, president of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, told EU lawmakers that failing to signal an open door to Ukraine would be a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that “he will proceed completely without punishment.” can.”