Macron rules out Ukraine joining EU at this stage
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Speaking of Ukraine's request for accession to the EU, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters it is too soon for a country at war.
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French President Emmanuel Macron (AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he is planning to have a talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin again in the coming 48 hours.
"This morning, German Chancellor Scholz and I spoke with Putin. We plan to have a conversation with him again in the next 48 hours," he said at the opening of an extraordinary EU summit in Versailles, stressing his intention to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine and resolve the ongoing conflict.
Ukraine's Accession to EU too soon
France's President said on Thursday that it is unlikely to start the procedure for Ukraine's admission to the European Union at this stage.
Before the start of the EU leaders' summit in Versailles, Macron said, "This is what we will discuss tonight. As you know, three countries, namely Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia have submitted official applications [to join the European Union]. We will discuss them tonight, and this is important. First of all, I think, this is the time when we need to send a strong signal to Ukraine and Ukrainians."
However, he doubted the possibility of starting such a procedure for a country at war.
Putin, Macron, Scholz discuss Ukraine in phone call
Earlier, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with his French and German counterparts over the phone.
The German government said in this regard that Scholz and Macron told Putin that the crisis in Ukraine must be resolved through negotiations and also demanded an immediate ceasefire.
The three presidents agreed, according to Germany, on maintaining close communication in the coming days.
