The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has told Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that the EU executive’s opinion on Ukraine’s request to join the bloc would be ready by the end of next week.
Their meeting, which took place during Von der Leyen’s second visit to Kyiv since Russia launched its invasion in February, “will enable us to finalise our assessment by the end of next week,” she said.
A recommendation as a candidate for membership, however, would only be a preliminary step. All 27 EU governments would have to agree on granting Ukraine candidate status, after which extensive talks on reforms would be required before membership