Sat 10 June 2022:
EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen visited Ukraine on Saturday to discuss the country’s candidacy for membership in the European Union with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While Kyiv has pushed for a quick entry into the European Union, EU officials and politicians have warned that the road to membership is difficult and can take years or decades.
The option of entering the EU is seen by Ukraine as a method to reduce its geopolitical vulnerability, which has been exposed by Russia’s war inside its borders.
“With President Zelensky I will take stock of the joint work needed for reconstruction and of the progress made by Ukraine on its European path,” von der Leyen tweeted on arrival in Kyiv.
She told a group of journalists travelling with her, including AFP, that the discussions “will feed into our assessment” of Ukraine’s readiness to be considered a candidate country to begin lengthy negotiations, including needed reforms.
That assessment by her commission will be presented “soon,” she said.
EU commissioners and officials are expected to pore over Ukraine’s bid next week, ahead of a June 23-24 summit that will likely take up the matter.
Since the invasion, the European Union has provided Ukraine with more than 700 million euros in aid and in-kind support through a two-billion-euro ($2.1-billion) fund.
Nearly five million Ukrainian migrants have sought sanctuary in EU countries after fleeing their country’s civil war.
Von der Leyen made her second trip to Kyiv since the Russian invasion in late February.
On April 8, she sent Zelensky a questionnaire that his officials needed to fill out in order to provide details that would aid the European Commission’s opinion to the European Council, which represents the EU’s 27 member states, be more accurate.
“Ukraine belongs to the European family,” von der Leyen stated during that April visit.
However, some EU nations have raised concerns about speeding up Ukraine’s candidacy process, such as North Macedonia and Albania, were already on the path to candidacy.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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