KYIV, May 23 – Polish President Andrzej Duda has called for granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership in June this year.

A big call to the entire EU, EU leaders. Today, Ukraine needs our signal to open European doors for Ukraine as a state, for the Ukrainian society that wants to be part of the European community. It is thanks to this that they today stand and defend their state bravely, they do not want to be a zone of influence of Russia, they want to be an independent, free country, they want to decide for themselves," Duda said at a press conference following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday.

Therefore, this opening signal from European leaders, the adoption of a decision on the status of Ukraine's candidate for the EU in the Council of Europe on June 24, is of extreme importance, primarily psychological and political," the President of Poland said.

He said that nine EU presidents had written a letter to the European community.

I ask you to think where there were doubts up to this point. I have said many times that, especially after Brexit, countries that aspire to join the EU should receive a clear signal that the doors to the EU are open. But the EU, the EU society, also needs this, to show that the EU is still attractive. The fact that the British left the EU does not mean that the EU is ending. The EU has a chance to continue to be a great European project that will lead Europe to prosperity," Duda said.

The head of state added that there are many nations in Europe who want to belong to it, and there are peoples who want to shed their blood for belonging to the West.

We must have respect for such nations, even if the situation is difficult, even if there are doubts. This gesture must be made. I have no doubt that the big rich EU will make such a gesture. And I deeply believe that European leaders who accept such decisions within the European Council, will make the only right decision and open the EU for Ukraine," Duda added. (om/ez)