EU chief commits to 'accelerate' Ukraine's membership bid during her visit to Kyiv

Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen has committed to "accelerate" Ukraine's membership bid to join the bloc. Ukraine took an "important step" towards EU membership on Friday, when President Ursula von der Leyen ceremonially handed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a questionnaire to answer as part of the lengthy membership process. 

During a visit to Kyiv, von der Leyen addressed the media and said, “Ukraine belongs to the European family. We have heard your requests loud and clear. And today, we are here to give you a first positive answer." She went on to say, “In this envelope, dear Volodymyr, there is an important step towards EU membership.” The President added that the information in this questionnaire will serve as the foundation for their discussion in the coming weeks. 

EU chief on Ukraine's EU membership bid

When the EU chief was giving the questionnaire to the Ukrainian President, she said, “It will not, as usual, be a matter of years to form this opinion but I think a matter of weeks," Sky News reported. Von der Leyen was also accompanied by Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security in the meeting. 

According to CNN, Von der Leyen has expressed optimism that she will be able to collaborate closely with Zelenskyy to complete the questionnaire in a few weeks. In addition to this, as soon as Zelenskyy received the papers, he expressed his gratitude to her.

Von der Leyen made the commitment during the press conference in which she said Russia will "descend into economic, financial, and technological decay", while Ukraine advanced towards "the European future." 

Bloc's new sanctions on Russia are still insufficient: Zelenskyy

On Friday, the Ukrainian President told European Union leaders that the bloc's new sanctions on Russia are still insufficient. While speaking in Kyiv alongside Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell, Zelesnkyy said, “I would like to thank all the world, the EU, Ursula von der Leyen personally, for the 5th sanctions package, but I think it is not enough," CNN reported.  

This week, the EU has approved its fifth wave of penalties, including a restriction on Russian coal imports and a prohibition on Russian access to EU ports. Borrell, on the other hand, has promised that an EU delegation would return to Kyiv, admitting that Ukraine requires more armaments. 

(Image: AP)