KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday (Saturday in Manila) his forces would hold out as long as possible in war-battered Bakhmut, as he hosted a summit with EU chiefs who praised Kyiv's push for reforms needed to join the bloc.

European Union chief Charles Michel, on his second visit in less than three weeks, doubled down on his backing for Kyiv's integration with Brussels, saying that, "Ukraine is the EU, the EU is Ukraine."

The symbolic summit took place as Zelenskyy pressed for a speedy accession to the EU as Ukraine fends off Russia's nearly yearlong invasion.

The Ukrainian leader urged the West to supply Kyiv with more sophisticated weapons to help his forces retain control of Bakhmut, the city at the epicenter of the fighting and where Russia is pushing hardest.

"No one will surrender Bakhmut. We will fight as long as we can," said the Ukrainian leader, standing shoulder to shoulder with Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, describing the city as a "fortress."

"If weapon [deliveries] are accelerated — namely long-range weapons — we will not only not withdraw from Bakhmut, we will begin to de-occupy Donbas," the eastern Ukraine region, Zelenskyy added.

In June last year, just months after the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine, the European Union extended candidate status to Kyiv, but the path to full membership is likely to be fraught and could take years.

'No timeline' on EU membership

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