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European Union President Ursula von der Leyen said it was difficult to say how long Ukraine’s admission process would take, but it would take “due time” to complete.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially signed the application for EU membership on February 28, four days after Russia invaded his country. Eight Member States signed a letter supporting Ukraine’s accelerated ascension process, which could further accelerate the integration of its economic and energy systems with Europe.
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But von der Leyen warned that it would still take time to complete the process.
“This process will take some time,” she said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “But we must not forget that before the start of this war, we were already intensively working together, for example, integrating the two markets, trying to support Ukraine as much as possible not only financially, but also, for example, in the field of energy security.”
“Therefore, a lot has been done,” she added. “There is still a lot of work to be done for any point to be closer. But this process is now in motion.”
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When asked to provide a timeline “as early as possible”, von der Leyen said it was “difficult to say” as it would depend on “developments on the ground”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly personally chosen former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych over Zelensky if Russia manages to capture Kyiv and take control of the country. If Putin succeeds, Yanukovych could backtrack on any statements initiated by his predecessor.
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Concerns about further Russian military action in their countries have prompted Moldova and Georgia to also apply for EU membership. However, the EU does not provide military protection.