00:00Top EU diplomats said Ukraine's accession to the bloc is an integral part of lasting
00:07peace.
00:08They were speaking in Kiev at a summit marking the third anniversary of the Russian invasion.
00:14Ukraine's accession to the European Union will be the most important security guarantee
00:23for the future of Ukraine.
00:26EU leaders rallied around Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky after widespread dismay
00:31that Donald Trump had dispatched top aides for preliminary talks with Russian officials
00:36without Ukrainian or European representatives.
00:40There are fears in Europe that Trump's apparent pivot to Moscow could freeze Ukraine out of
00:45the peace process entirely and end up with a deal that favours Russia.
00:51European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was still committed to
00:55admissing Ukraine.
00:56If they continue at that speed and at that quality, perhaps they could be earlier than
01:022030.
01:03So thank you very much for giving the impulse and let's work hard on all sides really to
01:09keep the momentum up.
01:12US politicians also recently ruled out granting NATO membership to Ukraine.
01:18Membership to the alliance has frequently been cited by Russian President Vladimir Putin
01:23as one of the main reasons for launching the war.
01:27And we hope that United States will continue support like all the partners.
01:33All the partners do it and we need also not to lose this unity between Europe and United
01:39States.
01:41As fighting rages on the front line, political pressure is mounting for a coordinated European
01:46effort to secure peace.
01:51But I think we in Europe, we need to get our act together.
01:55And in order to get an act together, you have to have a plan to the Americans because if
01:59you don't have a plan to the Americans, you're not going to get involved in the negotiations.
02:03Could EU accession replace NATO accession as a security guarantee for Ukraine?
02:07According to the leaders who sat in this room, yes it can and yes it should.
02:12Becoming part of the bloc could provide Ukraine with the necessary deterrence against a new
02:16Russian attack in the future, they said.
02:19But there's a catch, EU accession would always lack a key player in this game of geopolitics,
02:25the United States.
02:26Jorge Liboreiro, Euronews, Kyiv.
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