(ANSA-AFP).
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(ANSA-AFP) - KYIV, FEB 1 - Ukraine will hold a summit with
the European Union in Kyiv this week, the government announced
Tuesday, as it expressed hope the conference would bring the
war-battered nation closer to membership in the bloc almost a
year after Russia launched its invasion. Kyiv also announced it
expected to receive up to 140 modern battle tanks from its
Western allies, while the prospect of more advanced weapons for
Ukraine came from the United States. In his evening address to
the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped the
Friday summit would reflect a high "level of cooperation and
progress" with the 27-member bloc, which Kyiv has long sought to
join. "We are waiting for news for Ukraine," Zelensky said. The
fact the summit is being held in the Ukrainian capital sends "a
powerful signal to both partners and enemies", Prime Minister
Denys Shmygal said. "It is a message that Europe believes in
Ukraine's victory and supports our rapid movement towards EU
membership," he said. Ukraine gained EU candidate status in June
last year, several months after Vladimir Putin sent Russian
troops rolling across the border. No details were provided on
who would attend the summit from the European Union side.
(ANSA-AFP).
(ANSA-AFP).
