Ursula von der Leyen says EU will decide on Ukraine membership next week

Bloc leader holds joint news conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky after making surprise Kyiv trip

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv. EPA

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a surprise visit to Kyiv that the EU executive's opinion on the country's request to join the European Union would be ready by the end of next week.

In a joint news conference, Ms von der Leyen said Saturday's discussions with Mr Zelenskyy "will enable us to finalise our assessment by the end of next week," about whether to recommend Ukraine as a candidate for membership.

The move, whose timing was widely expected, would only be a preliminary step in a long process.

All 27 EU governments would have to agree to grant Ukraine candidate status, after which there would be extensive talks on the reforms required before Kyiv could be considered for membership.

Ms Von der Leyen, in her second trip to Kyiv since the start of the war in February, reminded Mr Zelenskyy that, despite progress on administrative reforms and elsewhere, much still needed to be done.

"You have done a lot in strengthening the rule of law but there is still need for reforms to be implemented, to fight corruption for example," she told the conference.

Mr Zelenskyy told the same briefing: "All of Europe is a target for Russia, and Ukraine is just the first stage in this aggression.

"This is why a positive EU response to the Ukrainian application for membership can be a positive answer to the question of whether the European project has a future at all."

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A Ukrainian soldier fires a machine gun near the town of New York in the breakaway Donetsk enclave. Reuters

The gutted remains of cars lie along a road during heavy fighting in Severodonetsk. AP

Ukrainian soldiers ride an armoured vehicle near the city of Bakhmut, in the breakaway Donetsk enclave. EPA

Ukrainian soldiers and members of civilian demining organisations take part in a training exercise for bomb disposal experts in Peja, Kosovo. Getty

Volunteers clear debris near a damaged shopping mall after night shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. EPA

A man walks past a college on fire after a strike in Lysychansk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas. AFP

Ukrainian service members near the town of Soledar. Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. AFP

Residents kneel during a funeral procession for senior lieutenant Vasyl Herych, 31, of the 15th Separate Mountain Assault Battalion, who was killed in Perechyn, Ukraine. Reuters

People hide in a bomb shelter in the city of Lysychansk in the Donbas region. AFP

Ivan Sosnin, 19, surveys the damage to his home in Lysychansk. AFP

Ukrainian troops repair a tank in the Donbas region. AFP

Ukrainian troops fire rockets towards Russian positions at a front line in the Donbas region. AFP

Volunteers from a Danish NGO demonstrate how to search for explosive devices with help of a loop metal detector, outside the town of Ichnia in Ukraine. Reuters

A firefighter takes a break after putting out a fire at a house in a district of Kharkiv that was bombed by Russian forces. Reuters

Plumes of smoke rise from a house on fire after a military strike by Russian forces in Kharkiv. Reuters

The damaged house of Inna Bobryntseva, a woman who died during Russian shelling, in Kharkiv. Ukrainian officials exhumed her body from her backyard as part of an investigation into war crimes. Reuters

A man moves items from a damaged shop in Kharkiv after a Russian military strike the night before. Reuters

Civilian militia men hold shotguns during training at a shooting range on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AFP

A woman walks by a destroyed apartment building in the town of Borodyanka. AFP

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A Ukrainian bomb disposal worker carries unexploded ordnance during mine clearance work in the village of Yahidne, in the liberated territories of the Chernihiv region. AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, centre, visits the military during a trip to the Zaporizhzhia region. AFP

Ukrainian service members fire a shell from a M777 Howitzer in the Donetsk region as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. Reuters

Ukrainian servicemen manoeuvre a tank near the frontline in the Donetsk region. AP Photo

The remains of the Darnytsia Car Repair Plant damaged by missile strikes in Kyiv. EPA

A couple embrace on Maidan square in Kyiv. AP Photo

Smoke rises from a residential area in Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said several explosions occurred following missile strikes in the Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts of the capital with no casualties reported. EPA

A woman holds a poster showing Russian President Vladimir Putin during a protest against the war in Ukraine at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. AP

Smoke rises in the background after Russian missile strikes in Kyiv. AP

A Ukrainian serviceman pauses before going back to the frontline in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. AP

Firefighters dampen down a rail facility in the Darnytsia district of Kyiv after a Russian air strike. EPA

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A man examines an apartment destroyed during shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. Five civilians were killed and 20 were injured. EPA

Residents examine cars destroyed during shelling in Donetsk. EPA

Civilians are evacuated from apartments destroyed during shelling in Donetsk. EPA

A man looks on as smoke rises after explosions were heard in Kyiv. Reuters

Residents chat in front of a destroyed building in Borodianka, as Russia's attacks on Ukraine continue. Reuters

A monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, damaged by shelling in Borodianka. Reuters

Men scavenge a burnt Russian military vehicle for parts and scrap metal in Novyi Bykiv. Getty

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Ukrainian howitzers in action at an undisclosed location. AFP

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Ukrainian emergency works at a damaged building following shelling in Kharkiv. AP

Members of a medical rescue team gather inside their temporary base in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. AP

A woman sits at a destroyed bus station in the city of Mariupol. AFP

Residents are evacuated from Slovyansk, eastern Ukraine. AP