(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Euronews, the organizer of the summit, reported this, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that he will take part in Euronews' unprecedented European Enlargement Summit on 4 November in Brussels, to debate Europe's strategic enlargement process, its challenges and benefits, and the complex paths ahead,” the report says.

The summit will, for the first time, bring together leaders of the EU and several candidate countries for a debate on the eastward enlargement of Europe - at a decisive moment for both the European Union and aspiring members.

Among the participants will be European Council President António Costa, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, President of Moldova Maia Sandu, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, as well as three prime ministers: Albania's Edi Rama, Montenegro's Milojko Spajić and North Macedonia's Hristijan Mickoski.

During the summit, Euronews will interview Zelensky to discuss Ukraine's strategy for achieving its key national goal - EU membership - as Russia's war against Ukraine and its broader threat to Europe have injected new urgency into the EU enlargement process, both for the Union and the candidate states, the outlet reports.

Ahead of the summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her annual State of the Union address, emphasized that a“a larger and stronger Union” with Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans is“a security guarantee for all of us.”

Meanwhile, in an exclusive opinion article for Euronews, Ukraine's Ambassador to the EU Vsevolod Chentsov wrote that“amid Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine and the hybrid war against Europe, European integration has become Ukraine's defining national goal and the key source of our society's resilience."

"Accession to the EU is not merely an institutional or economic transformation. It is a guarantee of Ukraine's democratic future - and of Europe's own security, unity, and trust," Chentsov added.

The ambassador also warned against a slow accession process amid Hungary's blocking stance, saying that“any delay sends the wrong signal and risks discouraging Ukrainians who defend European values every single day - often at the cost of their lives.”

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Addressing EU leaders, Chentsov stressed that“the European Union must match Ukraine's determination with strategic clarity and bold decisions,” and that“confidence in the European project depends on whether the EU can rise to this moment - by embracing those who are already defending European values on the front line.”

As reported, the European Enlargement Summit will take place on the same day the European Commission presents its new EU enlargement strategy and its annual assessment of progress made by Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans toward EU membership.

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