It may take “15 or 20 years” for Ukraine’s EU bid to be finalised, France's Europe minister said on Sunday, dampening Kyiv's hopes for a quick entry after Russia's invasion.
"We have to be honest. If you say Ukraine is going to join the EU in six months, or a year or two, you're lying," Clement Beaune told Radio J. "It's probably in 15 or 20 years. It takes a long time."
"I don't want to offer Ukrainians any illusions or lies."
Mr Beaune repeated President Emmanuel Macron’s offer to create a looser "European political community" that could help to integrate Ukraine into the bloc sooner.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday denounced "such compromises" and insisted on an immediate start of the process towards full EU membership.
But Mr Beaune said Mr Macron's proposal was not "an alternative to joining the European political community. It doesn't prevent membership later on".
Under Mr Macron's plan, "there could be free circulation in Europe, and it could benefit from the European budget for reconstruction and the revival of its country, society and economy", he said.
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A pro-Russian troop stands guard before the expected departure of Ukrainian soldiers, who surrendered at the besieged Azovstal steel mill in the course of conflict in Mariupol. Reuters -
A Ukrainian soldier on reconnaissance in a recently retaken village on the outskirts of Kharkiv, east Ukraine. AP Photo -
The destroyed part of the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol. AFP -
US President Joe Biden, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto walk through the White House rose garden after discussing the war, as well as potential Nato membership, in Washington. AP -
Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol are escorted by pro-Russian troops to Olenivka in the breakaway Donetsk region. Reuters -
Ukrainian National Guard soldiers train in the woods of the Transcarpathian region. Reuters -
A roof damaged during Russia's invasion of Ukraine is rebuilt in Moshchun village, near Kyiv. Reuters -
Ukrainian children play war games at a "checkpoint" they set up in Stoyanka, near Kyiv. AFP -
Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin, centre, on trial for war crimes in the Solomyansky district court in Kyiv, Ukraine. AFP -
A controlled detonation of explosive devices is conducted near Borodianka, Ukraine. Reuters -
A Russian serviceman adjusts the Soviet flag on a statue in Leninsky Komsomol Square in Mariupol, Ukraine. EPA -
A couple leave a metro station where they had been living after fleeing Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Getty Images -
Ukrainian forces leave the Azovstal steel works plant in Mariupol. AFP -
Russian militrary vehicles follow buses (not in picture) carrying Ukrainian troops being evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. EPA -
Members of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic forces carry water bottles as the evacuation of Ukrainian soldiers is carried out in Mariupo. EPA -
Ukrainian separatist troops and Russian soldiers, rear right, guard the buses with Ukrainian troops, in Mariupol. EPA -
A member of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic forces escorts a Ukrainian fighter being evacuated from the steel plant. EPA -
Russian militrary vehicles escort buses carrying Ukrainian troops from the Azovstal steel plant. EPA -
A total of 265 Ukrainian militants, including 51 seriously wounded, laid down arms and surrendered to Russian forces, the Russian Ministry of Defence said on May 17. EPA -
A Ukrainian soldier sits on a bus as troops are evacuated. EPA -
Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 21 ordered his defence minister to not storm but blockade the plant where a number of Ukrainian fighters were holding out. EPA -
Those in need of medical assistance were sent for treatment to a hospital in Novoazovsk, Russia said. EPA -
Some of the Ukrainian troops evacuated from the steel plant. AP -
A pro-Russian fighter stands guard next to a combat vehicle, before the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged Azovstal steel mill,in Mariupol. Reuters -
Pro-Russian troops wait before the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the Azovstal steel mill. Reuters -
A wounded Ukrainian soldier evacuated from Mariupol is carried on a stretcher out of a bus, after arriving in Novoazovsk. Reuters -
Buses carrying Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged Azovstal steel mill drive away under escort of the pro-Russian forces, in Mariupol. Reuters -
Pro-Russian troops stand guard on a road in Mariupol, Ukraine. Reuters -
Left to right, clockwise: Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Stanislav Zas, Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), and Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko hold a meeting of CSTO leaders at the Kremlin in Moscow. AFP -
Finland's President Sauli Niinisto and US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell answer questions from the media as Republican senators John Barrasso, Susan Collins and John Cornyn and US new ambassador to Finland Douglas Hickey listen, after a meeting at the president's official residence in Helsinki. Reuters -
Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson speaks to the media before the parliamentary debate on Swedish Nato membership, in Stockholm. Reuters -
Firefighters work at a scene of a missile strike, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, in Zatoka, Odesa region. Reuters -
A closed McDonald's restaurant in Moscow. Reuters -
A Ukrainian soldier walks past a wrecked Russian armoured personnel carrier, near Kutuzivka, north of Kharkiv. AP -
A screengrab obtained from a video shows Ukrainian troops at the Ukraine-Russia border, in what was said to be the Kharkiv region. Reuters -
Water gushes from a pump station after Ukrainian troops opened a dam to flood a residential area in Demydiv, to stop the advance of Russian forces towards the capital Kyiv. Reuters -
Residental buildings damaged by shelling in Irpin, Kyiv region. EPA -
Activists line up to form a peace sign in front of the building that houses the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, in Berlin. The event was organised by Greenpeace. AFP -
Officials stand together for a photo at an informal meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Berlin, with the focus on the potential membership of Finland and Sweden. Getty Images -
Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin (L) and President Sauli Niinisto hold a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, where they announced the country's intentions to apply for Nato membership. AP -
An Ukrainian girl with the national flag painted on her face attends a cultural event in support of the besieged country in a metro station in Dnipro, Ukraine. Reuters -
Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine are named the winners of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy. Getty Images -
Members of the Ukrainian military celebrate Kalush Orchestra winning the Eurovision Song Contest, at their position in the Kyiv region. Reuters -
Refugees from Mariupol region arrive at a registration and humanitarian aid centre for internally displaced people in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters -
A damaged street on the outskirts of Kharkiv. EPA -
A damaged residential building on the outskirts of Kharkiv. EPA -
Debris hangs from a regional government building in Mykolaiv, which was heavily damaged in a Russian attack. AP -
Former students play table tennis in the playground of a destroyed school in Kharkiv. Reuters
Some EU leaders share France's scepticism about a rapid acceptance of Ukraine's membership bid.
They are concerned that it will take time to rebuild a war-shattered economy, reduce corruption and adopt far-reaching economic and legal reforms.
On Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said there were "no shortcuts" to joining and the accession process "is not a matter of a few months or years".
Many western leaders believe Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion on February 24 in response to Ukraine's aspirations, but Mr Beaune rejected any blame on Kyiv.
"The person who sought this war, the aggressor, is Mr Putin," he told Europe 1 radio earlier on Sunday. "Ukraine is Europe."
The EU's goal is to "avoid any Russian victory", he said.
"Our support is legitimate," Mr Beaune said. "If Europe said, 'Go ahead, Mr Putin's Russia can do what it wants,' it would be dangerous for our security."
Mr Macron's initiative will be debated at an EU summit in late June.
