EU to issue opinion on Ukraine's membership to bloc in June

ANKARA

The EU will publish an opinion on Ukrainian accession to the bloc in June, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.

Saying on Twitter that she had held a video call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, von der Leyen noted that the two leaders had discussed EU support for Kyiv, as well as the country's EU membership bid.

"The EU commission will deliver its opinion in June," she said, adding that she is looking forward to receiving the answers to Ukraine's membership questionnaire.

On April 8, von der Leyen visited Ukraine's capital Kyiv in solidarity with the country and announced that the bloc would consider Ukraine's decades-old goal of accession.

However, officials from several EU member states maintain that Ukraine's completion of the questionnaire in such a short time would be extraordinary, as it had taken them months to complete the document -- thousands of pages long -- during their own accession process.

Any country with the goal of joining the EU is obligated to complete the questionnaire, which is considered one of the first steps in the EU membership process that is eventually submitted to the EU Commission. The commission shares its opinion and recommendations on the document with member states.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk