Three presidents, one statement: the 19 July 2021 pledge to Europe
A look back at a joint declaration by the leaders of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia on closer ties with the European Union.
What did it mean when three presidents put their names to a single statement on European integration? 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 tied together three bilateral relationships: Georgia–EU, Moldova–EU and Ukraine–EU. It was reported at the time as effectively a rebuke to Russia.
For Kyiv, the declaration came during a politically busy week. Six days earlier, on 13 July 2021, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, who had held the post since 2014, resigned. The two events were separate, and the reports of the time did not link them.
Looking back, 19 July 2021 stands as a day when the leaders of three countries set out a shared direction in a single document, rather than in three separate announcements.
