EU Commissioner: No Specific Timeframe for Ukraine’s Accession to EU

There is currently no specific timeframe for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis said in an interview.

Dombrovskis noted that he had discussed the Association Agreement with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during his visit to Ukraine.

“We must first work and use the full potential of the Association Agreement … In a sense, its implementation will pave the way for the next possible steps,” he said.

Asked whether Russia could shut down Ukraine’s future membership in the EU and NATO, Dombrovskis said that all Putin‘s demands had been rejected unequivocally.

“Sovereign countries have the right to choose their own security mechanisms and geopolitical orientation. And all these Russia’s talks about the spheres of influence simply do not fit into the 21st century,” he said.

The European Commissioner also noted that active consultations were underway between the United States, the European Union, and Russia on the European security architecture. In these negotiations, the European Union maintains constant contact with its American counterparts, so “nothing is decided about Europe without Europe and nothing is decided about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

Bohdan Marusyak