The heads of the government branches signed a joint statement in the Verkhovna Rada to achieve the strategic goal of Ukraine's EU membership.

"We need to prepare our country for negotiations on EU membership. EU membership is not geopolitics or the implementation of a certain political will. It is special things, advantages for every person in Ukraine, every company, every state institution in Ukraine," said President Volodymyr Zelenskyi during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, reports our journalist.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen was also present in the Verkhovna Rada but only online.

"Many decisions will depend on the Verkhovna Rada, on each MP, on how you, members of parliament, are ready to work on these decisions, how you are ready to coordinate your work with the government and diplomats. The association agreement is 63% implemented, 37% is a task for all of us to accomplish," he said.

Zelensky also announced the signing of a joint statement as a sign of the unity of all government branches on the way to EU membership.

"Today, together with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the prime minister, we are signing a joint statement, which is a signal of unity of all branches of government and evidence of our determination to achieve Ukraine’s strategic goal of full membership in the European Union. And signing this statement should mean the same as signing an application to join on the fifth day of the war," Zelenskyy said.

According to him, signing this statement has the same significance as signing the EU candidacy application.

"We went to the candidacy for 115 days. And our path to membership should not take years or decades. We have to overcome this path quickly. Make our part of the job perfect. To enable our friends in the European Union to make another historic decision for us just as quickly and in a consolidated way," Zelensky said.

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal also signed the statement.

Ruslan Stefanchuk stated the parliament would strive to pass all bills related to Kyiv's EU obligations by 2025.