The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has given the “green light” for Ukraine to join the Union before 2030.

According to Politico, von der Leyen, who was in the capital Kiev, made statements about Ukraine’s EU membership process. Von der Leyen praised the “progress” Ukraine has made on the path to membership, stating, “I really appreciate the political determination shown. In fact, if Ukraine’s merit-based process continues at this pace and quality, it could possibly happen before 2030.”

UKRAINE’S MEMBERSHIP PROCESS Ukraine submitted its application for EU membership on 28 February 2022, just 4 days after Russia’s attack, and was granted candidate status on 23 June 2022. Despite the decision to start membership negotiations being made at the EU summit on 23 December 2023, Hungary’s veto posed a challenge for a long time. The negotiations officially started on 25 June 2024, just 2.5 years after the application date, marking the first time the EU initiated negotiations with a country in an active state of war.