Ukraine and some other countries should join the EU to guarantee they do not fall under the influence of Russia and China – Ursula von der Leyen

Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans must join the EU. Otherwise, they will remain under the influence of Russia or China. We also need to consider what the EU will look like when these countries join.

This was stated by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, RBC-Ukraine reports.

Speaking at a press conference on the results of the visit of the European Commission Council to Spain, which holds the EU presidency, Ursula von der Leyen noted that further enlargement of the European bloc would require institutional reforms.

“Now we have to start to think about … principal decisions that we have to take. We have to discuss how the decision-making process will look like. We have to discuss how the common funding that we have will be allocated, what are common policies that we follow, and what kind of power Europe should be that its citizens want to see in it. And these questions should be addressed as soon as possible,” said the European Commission President.

In his turn, Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, which took over the EU presidency on 1 July, said that the issue of EU enlargement is already being considered. In his opinion, countries should move towards greater EU federalisation and formulate more common policies, and Europeans should find an answer to the question of what they want the EU to look like in 4-10 years.

“Mainly, we are talking about the transformation of our society, digital change and urgent climate issues. We have to answer the main question – what kind of European Union do we want to see? From my point of view, it should be a more federal European Union,” Sánchez said.

• On Saturday, 1 July, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrived on an official visit to Kyiv. He addressed a session of the Verkhovna Rada. In his speech, Sánchez emphasised the unity of Ukraine and Europe. 
• Speaking at the Verkhovna Rada, Pedro Sánchez also announced a €55 million aid package for Ukraine and the transfer of 4 Leopard tanks and other military equipment.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signed a joint declaration, which, in particular, notes Spain’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s initiative to join the EU and NATO.

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