Ukraine wins candidate status in bid to gain eu membership

In what will be a long rd to membership, Ukraine has won its candidate status in a bid to gain EU membership.

EU leaders have accepted both Ukraine and Moldova as membership candidates of the European Union, European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday evening.

"Agreement. #EUCO has just decided EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. A historic moment", Michel said in a tweet referring to the European Council of EU leaders (EUCO).

Ukraine's Zelensky welcomed the EU move to grant candidacy status, calling it a unique and historic moment in the bilateral relationship

Meanwhile, in the latest updates with regards to the crisis, the BRICS countries, which include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, said they support talks between Russia and Ukraine in a joint statement published on the Kremlin's website on Thursday.

“We have discussed the situation in Ukraine and recall our national positions as expressed at the appropriate fora, namely the UN [Security Council] and UN [General Assembly]. We support talks between Russia and Ukraine,” the statement read.

“We have also discussed our concerns over the humanitarian situation in and around Ukraine and expressed our support to efforts of the UN Secretary-General, UN Agencies and ICRC to provide humanitarian assistance in accordance with the basic principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality established in UN General Assembly resolution 46/182,” they added.

The BRICS summit, hosted by Beijing, marks Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first international forum with other heads of major economies since he launched his invasion in Ukraine back in February. 

Since the beginning of Russia's invasion, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that he was willing to hold direct talks with Putin. 

However, Russian forces have continued to pound Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv and surrounding countryside with rockets.