Ukraine expects to proceed to EU accession negotiations in a few months, which is the next step in joining the EU.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Dmytro Shmyhal said this at a press conference after the Ukraine-EU Association Council meeting in Brussels, answering questions of the correspondent of "European Pravda."

"The association agreement is fulfilled almost by 65%. We are very actively moving towards its implementation. Other procedures cannot replace the agreement. We must fulfill all the requirements. Meanwhile, we have to fulfill the seven requirements set by granting Ukraine candidate status," Shmyhal said.

"Accordingly, with meeting the seven requirements and with the parallel implementation of the Association Agreement, we have the ambition by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, to start the accession negotiations that precede joining the EU," the prime minister added.

Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, said that if Ukraine and the European Union are ready to act quickly, Ukraine can join the EU not in the long-term perspective but much sooner.

The EU ambassador to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, explained the further procedure of Ukraine's accession.