EU membership is best way for Ukraine's stability and security - von der Leyen

Ukraine's accession to the EU is the best way to guarantee the country's security, stability and prosperity in the medium and long term, and the enlargement process itself also corresponds to the geostrategic interests of the European Union.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this at the EU Ambassadors Conference 2023 in Brussels on Monday, November 6, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The best way to give Ukraine stability and prosperity in the mid and long term is membership in the European Union. To make Ukraine recover – Europe is the answer. To strengthen Ukraine's democracy even further – Europe is the answer. To protect Ukraine from future interferences – Europe is again the answer," von der Leyen said.

According to her, as much as accession to the EU is important to Ukraine, the reverse is also true - the enlargement process is important to the European Union itself.

"In a world where size and weight matter, it is clearly in Europe's geostrategic interest to complete our Union. With over 500 million people living in a free, democratic and prosperous Union. History is calling again, so it is for our generation to answer this call," she added, addressing the heads of EU diplomatic missions.

The EU continues to provide Ukraine with substantial political, diplomatic, economic, financial, humanitarian and military assistance in the fight against the Russian invasion. Since February 2022, the EU and its member states have provided more than EUR 82 billion in support to Ukraine.