Scholz said that Ukraine's accession to the EU could take years

The process of Ukraine's accession to the EU may take years, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking in the Bundestag.

So he commented on the words of French President Emmanuel Macron, who expressed a similar point of view, writes Tagesschau. On May 9, Macron said that the process of Ukraine's entry into the union could take "decades." For this reason, he proposed the creation of a "European political community" with Ukraine as a member.

“[The process of Ukraine's accession to the EU is] not a matter of a few months or a few years,” the chancellor said in response, adding that there is no “shortcut” to join the European Union.

He added that Brussels will consider Kyiv's application for EU membership at the end of June. Earlier, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that this would happen in the summer, but did not give a more precise date.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed an application for Ukraine's accession to the European Union on February 28. On April 9, von der Leyen met with the HEAD of state and handed him a questionnaire that any country wishing to become a candidate for EU membership must fill out. Kyiv sent two completed parts of the questionnaire to Brussels on April 18 and May 9.

At first, Moscow said that they did not object to Ukraine's entry into the European Union. In particular, this position was confirmed by the head of the Russian delegation at the talks with Ukraine Vladimir Medinsky. However, on May 12, Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said that Moscow had changed its mind and now objected to Ukraine's membership in the European Union, as well as to joining NATO. The opinion of the Russian side has changed since the union began to supply weapons to Ukraine, he noted. In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Kyiv's decision could pose a threat to RUSSIA, as the EU has become an "aggressive militant player."