Ukraine and Moldova have both been granted EU candidate status, President of the European Council Charles Michel has announced.
“Today marks a crucial step on your path towards the EU,” Mr Michel said, describing the European Council’s decision as a “historic moment”.
Ukraine applied days after the Russian invasion in February, and the process moved at a record speed.
Its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, hailed Thursday’s decision.
“It’s a unique and historical moment in UA[Ukraine]-EU relations…” he tweeted. “Ukraine’s future is within the EU.”
The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, former boxer Vitali Klitschko, paid an emotional tribute to his fellow citizens resisting the invasion.
“We paid a very high price for this chance,” he wrote on Telegram. “Yes, we still have a lot to do on the way to the European family.
“But I am sure that Ukraine will do everything necessary, fulfil all the conditions and pass the necessary laws. Because otherwise our state has no future. Indeed, our best defenders are dying for it.”
Candidate status is the first official step towards EU membership. But it can take many years to join and there’s no guarantee of success.