Such a recommendation would be a preliminary step on the long road to full membership, and Ukraine would need the support of all 27 EU governments before candidate status could be granted. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is pushing for rapid EU membership to provide the country with more security from the Russian invasion. “We want to support Ukraine in its European journey,” von der Leyen told a joint news conference with Zelensky during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday. Fierce fighting continues in the eastern Donbass region, where Russia is gradually gaining ground. “Discussions today will allow us to complete the evaluation by the end of next week,” von der Leyen added, adding that the Ukrainian authorities had “done a lot” for a candidacy, but that “reforms still need to be made.” applicable, for example to the fight against corruption “. Speaking with Von der Leyen, Zelenskiy said the EU decision on Ukraine would “determine” the future of Europe. “It is now being determined what the future holds for a united Europe and whether there will be a future at all. “A positive response from the European Union to the Ukrainian request will mean a positive response to the question of whether the European venture has any future at all.” “All of Europe is a target for Russia and Ukraine is only the first stage of this aggression,” he added. Since Russia’s invasion on February 24, senior EU officials, including Von der Leyen, who is making her second trip to Kyiv since the start of the war, have called for Ukraine to move quickly towards accession. EU by being nominated. And while some EU countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, have backed these calls, there are still doubts in Berlin and Paris and other Western European capitals as to whether formal procedure. On Thursday, Bloomberg, citing a diplomatic note, reported that Denmark believed that Kyiv did not meet the criteria sufficiently to apply for EU membership, saying that the country “should radically improve its legislative and institutional framework”. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron said it would take “decades” for Ukraine to join the EU, suggesting that Kyiv could join a “parallel European community” while awaiting a decision. EU leaders are expected to discuss Ukraine’s request at a summit next month, along with Moldova and Georgia. Kyiv sees the opportunity to join the EU as a symbolic and strategic way of tackling its geopolitical vulnerability, as Zelensky had earlier acknowledged that Ukraine would not join NATO. Recent surveys show that support for EU membership among Ukrainians has risen to 91% since the invasion began. Russia, which has used Ukraine’s previous push to join NATO to justify its invasion, has recently said it considers Ukraine’s accession to the European Union to be tantamount to Ukraine’s membership.
