EU weighs advancing Ukraine's membership bid as Russia war drags on
The European Union executive is expected to recommend taking Ukraine one step closer to becoming a member of the bloc this week, according to EU officials, a coveted prize for Kyiv as weariness creeps in nearly two years after Russia's invasion.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's Brussels-based executive will publish a report on Wednesday assessing progress achieved towards membership by EU hopefuls. On a visit to Kyiv on Saturday, she praised Ukraine for making headway.
The report and recommendation will inform a key decision in December by a summit of the EU's national leaders on whether to start formal membership negotiations with Kyiv.
Such talks take years before candidates meet extensive legal and economic criteria to join, and the bloc is not willing to take in a country at war.
Still, advancing Western integration is a top priority for Ukraine, where troops face battle fatigue and concerns swirl over the future of vital U.S. military aid.
The Commission said last June that Ukraine met two out of seven conditions the EU had set to start membership talks.
"You have made excellent progress," von der Leyen told a news conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday.
"You are fighting an existential war and at the same time deeply reforming your country," she said in highlighting reforms to Ukraine's justice system, reining in oligarchs and tackling money laundering.
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