Stefanishyna: Three main EU countries are against granting Ukraine candidate status

Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna has said that the three main EU countries have so far refused to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for membership, despite the consent of the other seven, but did not name them, DW reports.

"In general, about seven EU countries – these are not Eastern European or Baltic countries, as you can imagine – have made proposals for some other format, offering extra-candidacy or conditional candidacy. There were a lot of different proposals, but in fact there are three main countries that do not want to give the green light for Ukraine today," Stefanishyna said during a visit to Brussels on Thursday, June 9.

However, the Deputy Prime Minister did not name these countries, adding: "If you do not want the decision to be made on June 24, then let me name them, and we will sit and discuss."

She noted that it is about a summit on June 23-24, at which a decision on the status of a candidate can be made. "I am sure that on June 24, none of the leaders of the European Union will be able to say no to Ukraine," Stefanishyna stressed.

During her trip to Brussels, she stressed that Ukraine had fulfilled 65-70% of its obligations under the Association Agreement and had created a system of anti-corruption bodies. In her opinion, any options other than the candidate status will "weaken the EU itself."

"We insist that the decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate is only the beginning of the process, and it is not necessary to spend all your political skepticism and capital on opposing this. This is the beginning of the process, this is a chance that Ukraine will either take advantage of or not take advantage of," Stefanishyna summed up.