Poland’s foreign ministry: Ukraine’s EU membership impossible before end of conflict

Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is impossible until the Russian-Ukrainian conflict comes to an end.

This was stated by Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Ignacy Niemczycki on Polish Television.

According to him, the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine do not necessarily exclude the country’s EU membership under the treaties, but the union itself understands what the political realities are.

“Thus, it is hard to imagine such a situation,” Niemczycki said, referring to Ukraine joining the EU before the end of the fighting.

The diplomat added that some form of peace or ceasefire must be a prerequisite for Ukraine’s EU membership.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine should not count on fast-tracked accession to the European Union. According to the outlet, Brussels is concerned about high levels of corruption, has doubts about the independence of Ukrainian courts, and is proposing gradual integration to Kyiv instead of swift membership. In addition, it was previously reported that the European Union does not want to admit Ukraine precisely because of the level of corruption in the country.