Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, noted that Ukraine has recently made great progress on its way to joining the EU, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

"Ukraine is advancing on its European path in an impressive manner. Accession is a merit-based process, and your track-record shows that you are able to deliver fast and of high-quite quality [results – ed.], even as you fight an aggressor, even as you are at war.

I hear Ukrainian people so often speak about their hopes, they want their children to grow up in the European Union. And this hope gives them the strength to cope with this horrible war. Dear Volodymyr, between now and this bright future there may be a hard road to thread, but rest assured that we will be with you along every step of the way," said Ursula von der Leyen on joint briefing with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels.

In early February, an unprecedented delegation from the European Commission visited Kyiv, and the Ukraine-EU summit took place. As a result of this visit, Ukraine received a signal that it will one day become a member of the European Union. At the same time, Kyiv was warned against having high expectations about how quickly this could happen. 

Read more: How Brussels Assesses Kyiv's Readiness to Join the EU: Analytical Report