Meloni describes Ukraine as “an outpost of security on the European continent” in the fight against Russia’s invasion.
— The smartest way to thank Ukrainians for what they do is to speed up the opportunity for them to become part of the European institutions, Meloni said in connection with a bilateral meeting in Rome with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Ukraine was granted formal candidate status last June, four months after the Russian invasion. The process of becoming a member of the Union usually takes several years, with EU-related reforms that must be implemented to meet the accession criteria.