Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted formal questionnaires to the European Union about Ukraine having a membership.
The country’s leader submitted the questionnaire today to an envoy. Zelensky said he believes that Ukraine will gain candidate status within weeks.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave the official questionnaire to Zelensky during her visit to Kyiv last week and promised that it would give a speedier start to Ukraine’s bid to become an EU member.
Zelensky said that Ukraine strongly believes that granting a candidate status will happen within the “coming weeks,” and will be positive for the history of the Ukrainian people, especially given the “price they paid on the path to independence and democracy.”
Zelensky’s deputy head of the presidential office said that the president expected the country would get official status in June, only two months away.
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union and will need to issue a recommendation on Ukraine’s compliance with the necessary membership criteria.
Candidate countries require negotiations for admittance, therefore, Ukraine would begin these negotiations on aligning laws into the legal framework that exists and has been decided upon within the European Union.
When Russia first invaded Ukraine, Zelensky made an appeal for EU membership. Back at the end of February, Zelensky said that it was a crucial moment for the country to have a membership in the bloc. The ambition for the country to join the EU is well-known.
Part of the reason Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed he was invading Ukraine included the concept of Ukraine joining a Western Alliance: NATO. Before Russia entered Ukraine, Putin demanded guarantees from NATO that Ukraine would never be admitted.
Ukraine is not the only country negotiating its membership in the Eu. Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Albania also have asked to join the bloc.
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