It is a “great honor and a great responsibility to work towards the realization of the country’s aspirations,” Zelensky said of the new chapter in the history of his country’s relations with the EU.
“We have completed a 115-day journey to achieve candidate status and our journey to accession may not take decades. We should be able to go down this road soon,” the president said. “Ukraine is fighting to choose its values, to belong to the European family.”
Ukraine’s accession to the EU could take years, as illustrated by the Balkan countries, in part due to the strict rule of law criteria and the economy of the candidate countries.