The European Union granted Ukraine “candidate status,” extending provisional rights to the besieged nation in a largely symbolic move that puts Ukraine on the path to join the economic union in the next decade, Reuters reports. The EU also issued candidate status to the nation of Moldova, Ukraine’s neighbor.
The move also demonstrates to Russia the solidarity the 28 members of the EU feel with the Ukrainian people, who have been under attack by Russia for the last four months. When it invaded Ukraine in February, Russia claimed it was doing so to halt the process of NATO and the EU to its borders, saying such encroachment endangers Russia.