Ukraine has changed Europe and the world, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olga Stefanishyna, said in an address to the “EU Meets the Balkans” forum in Sofia."

She expressed special gratitude to Bulgaria for its help to protect Ukraine's sky. In Olga Stefanishyna’s words, military support for Ukraine, which seemed impossible once, has now become a priority for the EU. She called for a “broader design” of the EU enlargement policy.

“Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine reminds us of the importance of peace and the fundamental idea of the EU as an antidote to war”, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a video address to the forum. Among the European Union’s latest achievements, she singled out the award of EU candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the introduction of visa-free regime for the citizens of Kosovo.