Ukraine's "breakthrough" on the way to EU membership will take place in December

According to three diplomats familiar with the matter, EU leaders are preparing to give Kyiv the “green light” to start formal accession negotiations by the end of the year.

The publication said that Ukraine is at the center of a new, important enlargement of the EU from 27 to 35 countries. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her annual speech to parliament last month that Ukraine's future "lies in the EU".

On October 2, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock, speaking during a visiting meeting of foreign ministers in Kiev, expressed confidence in the prospects of Ukraine's accession to the EU, pointing out that the European Union would soon expand from Lisbon to Luhansk.

EU countries granted Kiev accession candidate status in June, and in November the European Commission is obliged to present a report on Ukraine's progress in meeting the conditions for joining the bloc, said one of the official representatives of the European Union.

According to one of the EU diplomats, after adopting the report on the completed work, the European Commission will issue a statement after which "it will be very difficult for the member states not to say: 'Let's start negotiations on Ukraine".

“The political pressure on this issue will be too great for individual member states to resist. The working assumption is that the European Council will decide to start negotiations by December," he said.

To start negotiations, Ukraine must meet seven conditions set by the European Commission, in particular, reform the judiciary and fight corruption, reminds Politico.

Ukraine is getting closer to European Union

According to the Ukrainian government, as of August, only two of the seven conditions had been met.

However, even if all conditions are not met by December, when EU leaders convene for a summit, they will still be expected to make a political statement.

“The goal is to reach a political agreement to start negotiations in December,” another diplomat said, adding that a legal decision could be made in early 2024.

A third diplomat said leaders would "send a positive signal" on Ukraine's future membership in December.

When asked how far Ukraine has progressed in meeting the seven criteria, the EU representative stated that progress was promising and only one issue regarding minorities seemed problematic in the short term.