Ukraine will not be able to become a member of the European Union as long as there are Russian troops on its territory. This was stated in an interview with DW by the Deputy Chairman of the European Commission Frans Timmermans.

 "No, it is impossible. But the whole idea is for Ukraine to come out of this conflict as a winner, sovereign, independent, free and able to make this choice itself. And I think that Ukraine is fighting for this to happen. The European Union is to blame . to support Ukraine in achieving this goal," Timmermans replied to the question of whether Ukraine can become a member of the EU if there are Russian military personnel in this country.

 As the European Commission noted, when Ukraine acquired the official status of a candidate for membership of the European Union, in order to become a member of the EU, it is necessary to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria - conditions for joining the EU, adopted in 1993. Among them are the presence of stable state institutions, a functioning market economy, and the ability to effectively fulfill the obligations of an EU member.

 In addition, the European Commission formulated seven conditions that Kyiv must fulfill on the way to membership in the European Union. It is about judicial reforms, fight against corruption, de-oligarchization and policy towards national minorities.

 It should be noted that the opening of accession negotiations (after which Ukraine will need to adapt legislation to European legislation regarding 35 negotiating chapters, "closing" them one by one) is technically impossible before the fall of 2023.