INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
European Union leaders on Thursday agreed to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, in a show of support in the face of Russia's
together."Ukraine applied to become an EU candidate in a bid to cement its place in Europe just days after Moscow launched its devastating
invasion.France's President Emmanuel Macron said the move sent a "very strong signal" to the Kremlin that the EU backs the pro-Western
integrity," he said.Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Twitter hailed the EU's decision "a unique and historic moment in Ukraine-EU
including on bolstering the rule-of-law and fighting corruption, before it can progress to the next stage entailing accession talks.Moldova
and Georgia, two countries that also have part of their territory occupied by the Kremlin's forces, handed in applications in Ukraine's
next months to reach the candidate status," President Salome Zurabishvili said on Twitter.
