Ukraine will be ready for European Union (EU) membership in two years and NATO membership even earlier, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, said in her interview with the Voice of America.
Given the number of issues that Ukraine would need to resolve to join the EU, including the complete harmonization of its laws and standards with those of the EU, membership in NATO, which Ukraine has also applied for, may look closer, according to Olha Stefanishyna.
“When it comes to NATO, it is primarily a political decision. We still need to form a political consensus on the formalization of this process, on the security conditions that will allow us to formalize the process of Ukraine’s accession to NATO,” Olha Stefanishyna said.
Commenting on the statement by European Council President Charles Michel on the need to prepare the EU for enlargement by 2030, Olha Stefanishyna noted that such a schedule does not mean that Ukraine should wait seven years for the opportunity to join the EU.
“I am confident that Ukraine will be able to hold effective negotiations, fulfill all the obligations related to the implementation of European standards, and, most importantly, create conditions for the recovery of the Ukrainian economy and the restoration of Ukraine, which will allow us to become a competitive member of the European Union. And this will definitely happen by 2030,” Olha Stefanishyna said.
Stefanishyna said that Ukraine would be ready to join the EU in the next two years. Still, the course of the Russo-Ukrainian war would determine “the political framework for making this decision,” according to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister.
“Ukraine is already largely a part of the European economy, even during the war. We [Ukraine – ed.] are among the 20 largest importers of various products, the largest market in Europe, and we have agreements on all possible trade liberalizations with the European Union. From this point of view, Ukraine’s readiness is the highest among other countries. Therefore, the decision on Ukraine can be made earlier,” Stefanishyna said.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister believes that Ukraine’s membership in the EU in the next few years does not require reforming the European Union as such.
Related:
- Most Ukrainians support Ukraine’s membership in NATO and EU – poll
- Why EU security is under threat without Ukraine in NATO
- PACE supports Ukraine’s accession to NATO
- Cost of Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery reaches $411 bn – World Bank
