France, Germany, Italy, and Romania back EU candidacy for Ukraine

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France, Germany, Italy, and Romania all support Ukraine getting "immediate" formal candidate status to join the European Union, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday in Kiev.

During a joint press conference with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Premier Mario Draghi, and Romanian leader Klaus Iohannis, Macron assured that "All four of us support the status of immediate candidate for accession."

The leaders arrived in Kiev on Thursday morning by train. 

Ukraine applied for the EU membership on February 28, shortly after Russia launched its military operation. It was followed by Georgia and Moldova, which decided to fast-track submission of their applications and similarly received the EU questionnaire in mid-April. 

Last month, EU executives had reviewed Ukraine's accession bid in record time; cutting the process from months to weeks. This cut was defended by the chief spokesperson of the European Commission, Eric Mamer.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned Ukraine against joining the European Union and NATO as Kiev aspired to obtain membership in both after the Ukraine war broke out.

Austria's EU Affairs Minister Karoline Edtstadler has predicted that the process will take more than a decade.

Even if approved, the candidacy is expected to be subject to strict conditions.

"This status will be accompanied by a roadmap and will also involve taking into account the situation in the Balkans and the neighboring area, notably Moldova," Macron stated.

France has the EU's rotating presidency until the end of this month.

On a surprise visit to Kiev on June 11, EU leader Ursula von der Leyen said the commission will deliver a clear signal this week on Ukraine's ambition to become a candidate.

Paris sending 6 more Caesar howitzers to Ukraine

Macron also announced that France would send an additional 6 Caesar long-range self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine to help it counter the Russian forces.

"On top of the 12 Caesars already delivered, I took the decision (to deliver) in the coming weeks six additional Caesars," Macron stated.

Macron assured Zelensky that "Europe is at your side. It will stay so until it needs to, until victory."

Earlier, on a visit to the war-torn Kiev district of Irpin, he urged Ukraine must "resist and win."

Caesars are highly acclaimed for their accuracy and are manufactured by Nexter, a partially state-owned armaments manufacturer in France.

Ukraine showcased the weapon to media, including AFP, earlier this week, as the country called for additional Western armaments to oppose Moscow.