Ukraine Has 'Ambitious Plan' To Join EU In 2 Years - Prime Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th January, 2023) Kiev has an "ambitious plan" for the country's accession to the European Union within two years, with the pre-entry stage of negotiations on the issue expected to take place already in 2023, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told the Politico newspaper on Monday.

"We have a very ambitious plan to join the European Union within the next two years. So we expect that this year, in 2023, we can already have this pre-entry stage of negotiations," Shmyhal was quoted as saying by the media outlet.

However, nobody in the EU considers such a plan realistic, the newspaper reported.

Although Ukraine's close allies in the EU, such as Poland and the Baltic countries, strongly support Kiev's aspiration for the union's membership, many members of the "EU old guard" are far more cautious as Ukraine, as a global agricultural superpower, could weaken their own powers and privileges, Politico reported. In addition, some argue that Kiev could become an excessive burden on the EU budget, the report said.

Some EU states also claim that while the future of Ukraine lies within the EU, aspirant countries need to meet specific criteria, the newspaper reported.

"Expectation is quite high in Kyiv, but there is a need to fulfill all the conditions that the (European) Commission has set out. It's a merit-based process," Politico quoted a senior EU official as saying.

On February 3, Ukraine will host the EU-Ukraine summit, which will focus on the issue of the country's membership in the European Union. The meeting will not be attended by leaders of the European countries, the media outlet reported.

In his interview with the newspaper, Shmyhal expressed hope that Ukraine would be able to achieve a "substantial leap forward" at the summit, including in the suspension of customs duties on Ukrainian exports and the inclusion of Ukraine in the EU mobile roaming zone.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an application for Ukraine's accession to the EU on February 28, 2022, four days after Russia launched its special military operation. On June 23, EU heads of state approved a candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova. To start the accession talks, the countries need to fulfill a number of conditions, including reforms.