European Commission conclusions on the status of Ukraine will be by the end of next week – von der Leyen
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, made statements at a joint briefing after their meeting in Kyiv on 11 June.
– Now, undoubtedly, is a crucial time not only for Ukraine but for the entire European continent. This is the moment to decide what the future of united Europe will be like and whether it will exist at all,” the President said.
According to him, now Russia wants to destroy European unity, and Ukraine is only the first stage of this aggression.
– That is why the positive answer of the European Union to the Ukrainian application for the EU membership may become a positive answer to the question – whether the European project has any future at all”, Zelenskyy added.
In her turn, Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Commission would finalize its recommendations on granting Ukraine EU candidate status by the end of next week.
– The European Commission is preparing its recommendations, the so-called conclusion for the EU member states. We have been working day and night on this assessment. I promised you in April that we would work tirelessly on this, and our discussions will allow us to complete this work by the end of next week,” she said.
Earlier on her arrival in Kyiv, Ursula von der Leyen said that together with Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, they will summarize the joint work necessary for the renewal and progress made by Ukraine on its European path.
If the conclusions drawn by the EC are positive, the approval of the EU member states is still needed before Ukraine will be officially granted the status.
