Ukraine has submitted the second part of Ukraine's questionnaire for obtaining EU candidate status and expects to hear an ultimate decision from the European Union in June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2022) Ukraine has submitted the second part of Ukraine's questionnaire for obtaining EU candidate status and expects to hear an ultimate decision from the European Union in June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"We have taken another step - a very important and not just a formal step - on our path to the European Union. Ukraine has submitted the second part of the answers to a special questionnaire to be completed by each country aspiring to be part of the European Union. It usually takes months. But we did everything in a few weeks," Zelenskyy said in a video address on Monday night.
The president added that on Monday he held talks with EU senior officials, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen, to whom he expressed gratitude on behalf of all Ukrainians for the EU support and the attention to the needs of the Ukrainian people.
"Mrs. Ursula said she was impressed with the speed with which our government officials filled out the questionnaire. And I was glad to hear from her that our speed encourages the European Commission to act just as quickly. We expect to receive a positive response in June regarding the acquisition of EU candidate status by our country," Zelenskyy said.
He also thanked the European Commission's head for work on setting up a trust fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine as well as "for the efforts needed to agree on a new package of sanctions on Russia."
Ukraine applied for EU membership on February 28, shortly after Russia launched its military operation. It was followed by Georgia and Moldova, which decided to fast-track submission of their applications. During the EU delegation's visit to Kiev on April 8, von der Leyen handed Zelenskyy a questionnaire to begin Ukraine's accession process. She emphasized that this questionnaire would lay the groundwork for further discussion on the country's membership in the future. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron told the European Parliament on Monday that Ukraine's accession to the EU could drag on for years or decades unless the bloc is willing to lower the bar on its membership criteria.
