PM: Ukraine plans to become EU member in two years

Ukraine has ambitious plans by the end of this year to fulfil all seven conditions put forward by the European Commission when granting candidate status and move on to the negotiation process regarding EU membership.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal made the remarks at a meeting of the Yalta European Strategy held in Kyiv on September 10, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Government portal.

"We will move at a very fast pace. We have analysed how other countries have passed this way. It took five, seven, and eight years. We have the ambition to go this way in a maximum of two years and realize our goal — to be a full-fledged part of the European Union," Shmyhal said.

The prime minister stressed that Ukraine had defended its civilisational choice and will continue to move to the West.

"The main conclusion after two hundred days of this bloody war is that Ukraine has won strategically. We have won in defending our freedom, our democracy. We have won in our strategic vector to Europe. Russia has lost strategically. They have remained in their archaic Soviet model of existence with their propaganda, with their imperial ambitions, which we obviously will not allow them to realize," he said.

Shmyhal also thanked the Armed Forces and all the Ukrainian military, who give today the opportunity to talk and plan a successful European future for Ukraine.

As reported, the heads of State and Government of the European Union decided on June 23 to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership.