KYIV. July 19 (Interfax) - The presence of Russian military forces near the borders of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova threatens not only these countries, but also the entire European continent, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"If Brussels doesn't demonstrate ironclad support for the European aspirations of our three countries [Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova], then someone else is demonstrating the iron muscles of its weapons near the borders of the three of us. And in my view, this is a threat not only to our three countries, but also to the entire continent," Zelensky said at an international conference in Batumi, which was attended by the leaders of the so-called Associated Trio (Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine).
Zelensky said he could not understand "why Ukraine's, Georgia's, and Moldova's voices are not being heard at a conference on Europe's future today."
"Are they really not part of its future? In my view, if some country is unimportant to Europe's future, this isn't a Europe of the future," he said.
"To prove that there is a place for Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova in the European future, they could be granted a European prospect as states that share common values," he said.
"In keeping with Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, we want the European Union's territory to become larger. And unfortunately, the territories of our three states have become smaller because of this choice. We know for certain that this is temporary. But it also depends to a large degree on you [EU representatives] how temporary it is," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian, Moldovan, and Georgian foreign ministers discussed a memorandum on the establishment of the Associated Trio in Kyiv in May.
The document is focused on structuring consultations on European integration between the foreign ministries of the three countries, engaging in dialogue with EU institutions and members, and coordinating positions within the Eastern Partnership framework.