Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Bucha, the city where civilian bodies were found after the Russian troops withdrew
Photo: Marko Djurica / Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday formally handed over a completed questionnaire to a European Union envoy on the country’s joining the bloc, saying he believes the move will result in Ukraine gaining official candidate status within weeks.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen handed the questionnaire to Zelenskyy during a visit to Kyiv on April 8, promising a faster procedure for Ukraine’s EU candidacy after Russia’s invasion of the country.
Zelenskyy presented the finished document to the EU envoy in Ukraine at a meeting, images released by his government showed.
“We firmly believe that this process (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 paid on the road to independence and democracy,” he said Ukrainian leaders said during the meeting. .
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Zelenskyy’s deputy chief of staff said earlier Monday he expected Ukraine to be granted formal EU candidate status during a scheduled meeting of the European Council, which includes the leaders of the bloc’s member states, in June.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, must issue a recommendation on Ukraine’s fulfillment of the necessary accession criteria, he added.
As a candidate country, Ukraine would start negotiations to align its laws with the legal framework of the European Union.
