Three presidents, one statement on closer ties with the EU
A joint declaration from Kyiv, Chișinău and Tbilisi set out a shared European course.
What did three presidents want to say together to Brussels, and to Moscow? On 19 July 2021, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili announced in a joint statement that their countries intended to pursue closer relations with the European Union. The statement was seen as effectively rebuking Russia.
The declaration brought together three relationships: Georgia–European Union, Moldova–European Union and Ukraine–European Union. By speaking with one voice, the leaders presented their separate European paths as a shared aim.
The statement came six days after a change in Kyiv's domestic politics. On 13 July 2021, Arsen Avakov resigned as Ukraine's interior minister, a post he had held since 2014.
