Zelensky: Ukraine could become EU candidate within weeks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky formally submitted a completed questionnaire on European Union membership to an envoy on Monday and said he believed this step would lead to his country gaining candidate status within weeks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen handed the questionnaire to Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv on April 8, pledging a speedier start to Ukraine’s bid to become a member of the EU following Russia’s invasion of the country.

Zelensky submitted the completed document to the EU’s envoy to Ukraine, footage released by his government of the meeting showed.

“We strongly believe that this procedure (granting of candidate status) will take place in the coming weeks and that it will be positive for the history of our people, given the price they paid on the path to independence and democracy,” the Ukrainian leader said during the meeting.

The deputy head of Zelensky’s office said earlier on Monday that he expected Ukraine would be granted candidate status in June during a scheduled meeting of the European Council, which comprises leaders of EU member states.

The European Commission, the EU executive body, will need to issue a recommendation on Ukraine’s compliance with the necessary membership criteria, he added.

As a candidate country, Ukraine would start negotiations on aligning its laws with the legal framework of the European Union.

RELATED STORIES

Ukraine completes questionnaire for EU membership—official

Mariupol says 40,000 deported from besieged city to Russian regions

‘This is my third war’: Ukraine’s elderly are conflict’s forgotten victims

Ukraine’s Zelensky condemns shelling as bodies line streets of Mariupol

View comments

TAGS: Russia, War