Kuleba: EU reaches consensus on Ukraine's membership bid

The European Union has reached a consensus regarding Ukraine's membership in the bloc, which is "only a matter of time," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Oct. 2, as reported by European Pravda.

"Everyone is determined to move forward with maximum speed, considering all the reforms that Ukraine has carried out, is carrying out, and will carry out," Kuleba said at a press conference following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Kyiv.

"Our key signal was as follows: We will implement all seven key recommendations of the European Commission to launch membership negotiations," the official told the press conference.

"We expect to be evaluated honestly, transparently, without additional conditions. And the atmosphere (of the meeting) shows that we have a consensus on this issue."

Read also: German Foreign Minister: EU will soon extend ‘from Lisbon to Luhansk’

Foreign ministers of all 27 EU member states arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Oct. 2 to meet outside the union for the first time.

The officials reportedly addressed Ukraine's accession to the EU, military support for Kyiv's fight against Russian aggression, and tightening sanctions against Moscow.

On Sept. 26, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that the Ukrainian government has implemented all seven steps recommended by the European Commission for EU accession talks to begin.

European leaders granted Ukraine candidate status on June 23, 2022, in a historic step on the long and difficult path to EU membership. There is no timeline set for the accession process, and it may take years to complete.

Read also: Borrell in Kyiv: EU support for Ukraine has reached 85 billion euros

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