The Kremlin reacts to Ukraine’s EU candidate member status: “The main thing is that it shouldn’t create problems for Russia”

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO – FRIDAY, 24 JUNE 2022, 12:56

The Kremlin has claimed that granting Ukraine and Moldova candidate status for EU membership is an internal European issue, saying that "the main thing is that these processes should not lead to big problems in these countries’ relations with Russia".

Source: Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia, cited by the Russian media outlet Interfax

Quote: "Firstly, these are, of course, internal European issues. It’s very important for us that all these processes do not cause more problems for us and more problems in these countries’ relations with us. There are already enough problems."

Details: The spokesman for the President who started a full-scale war in the centre of Europe also stated that the most important thing is that "all this does not worsen Russia’s relations with the EU further, as they have already been considerably damaged."

Peskov also made a snarky remark about the phenomenon of candidate status for EU membership. He stated that in decades of being a candidate, Turkey had "got nowhere". Therefore "there could be various nuances", Putin’s press secretary added.

Previously: EU leaders approved the decision to grant Ukraine and Moldova candidate status at a summit in Brussels on 23 June.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy compared Ukraine’s EU candidate member status to a betrothal.