Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded Friday for Ukraine's entry into the European Union, asking for his country not to remain in a “gray zone,” while EU leaders must decide by the end of June if they will grant official candidate status to Ukraine, AFP reported.

“Why, if polls show that 71 percent of Europeans consider Ukraine as a part of the European family, are there still political skeptics who are hesitant to allow us to move to the European Union?” Zelensky asked.

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“We must finally remove this "gray" zone that so tempts the Russian state. We need to move to actions from words that Ukraine is part of the European family.”