Zelenskyy Counts On Positive Response From EU On Granting Ukraine Candidate Status For EU Membership In June

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is counting on a positive response from the European Union on granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate in June.

Zelenskyy announced this in his traditional video message on Monday, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

Zelenskyy noted that on Monday, Ukraine took an important step on its way to the EU. It submitted the second part of the answers to a special questionnaire that every country that aspires to be part of the European Union must fill out. According to him, this procedure usually takes months, but Ukraine did it in a matter of weeks.

Zelenskyy said he discussed Ukraine's European integration with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday.

The European Commission President said she was impressed by the speed with which the Ukrainian government filled out the questionnaire, Zelenskyy said, and that such speed encourages the European Commission to act quickly as well. He thanked her for her work in setting up a trust fund to rebuild Ukraine after the war and for her efforts to negotiate a new sanctions package against Russia.

Zelenskyy also noted that President of the European Council Charles Michel visited Odesa on Monday and saw with his own eyes what the sea blocked by Russia means.

As Ukrainian News Agency reported, the EU is expected to consider granting Ukraine the status of a candidate member of the European Union at the leaders' summit in June.

Filling out the questionnaire of the European Commission is a necessary step for granting Ukraine the status of a candidate member of the European Union.