Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky right and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen make statements after their talks in Kyiv on June 11, 2022. SERGEI SUPINSKY AFP KIEV - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that the commission will finalize its assessment on granting Ukraine EU candidate status by the end of next week, according to the Ukrinform news agency.
The European Commission is preparing its recommendations for the so-called conclusion for EU member states. We have been working on this assessment day and night, according to von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. We will be able to complete the work by the end of next week because of our discussions. On February 28, Zelensky signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure.
Von der Leyen gave Zelensky the EU membership questionnaire during her visit to Kiev in April. The first part of the document was submitted to the EU on April 18, while the second part was delivered on May 9.
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It may take years, if not decades, for Ukraine to obtain EU membership, according to observers.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace pledged to continue providing military aid to Kiev while meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart in Kiev.
During the talks held on Friday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov urged more defensive aid from Britain, saying that we need more heavy weapons to continue the struggle. Wallace said Britain's support for Ukraine will continue, and that cooperation between the two sides will be as effective as possible. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last month that the British government will provide 1.3 billion pounds $1.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine.