19. 05. 2022. 00:00   >>  18:37

SCHOLZ SAYS

'No Shortcuts' for Ukraine on EU path

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Ukraine's bid to join the European Union cannot be fast-tracked despite Russia's invasion, a statement Kyiv said amounted to "second-class" treatment.

"There are no shortcuts on the way to the EU," Scholz told the Bundestag -- Germany's lower house of parliament -- on May 19, adding that an exception for Ukraine would be unfair to Western Balkan countries also seeking membership.

"The accession process is not a matter of a few months or years," Scholz said.

Scholz called for other ways to help Ukraine in the short term, saying the priority was to "concentrate on supporting Ukraine quickly and pragmatically."

French President Emmanuel Macron has also said it will take "decades" for a candidate like Ukraine to join the EU, and suggested establishing a broader political organization beyond the bloc that could even include Britain.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reacted to Scholz's statement by criticizing the "second-class treatment" of Kyiv by some EU countries that he said "hurt feelings of Ukrainians."