Italy will do everything for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union (EU), but for this the Kyiv authorities must carry out appropriate reforms so that the country complies with the rules of the community. This was announced on June 25 by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Italy Antonio Tajani.

“We will do everything for it [Ukraine] to join the EU. Of course, provided that Kyiv will comply with the rules of the community and carry out the necessary reforms, for example, in the fight against corruption. We hope for an accelerated path for Ukraine, as well as for the Western Balkans, ”il Messaggero quoted him as saying.

Speaking about whether Rome supports Kyiv’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance, the minister stated the need for a «gradual path.» Tajani noted that the first step towards this is the creation of the Ukraine-NATO Council and the resumption of the expansion of the military bloc, launched in Bucharest in 2008, after the current conflict ends.

Earlier, on June 23, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky noted that there are no shortcuts for Ukraine to join the European Union. During his speech at the European Wachau Forum in Austria, the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry noted that Ukraine still has a lot to do. The Minister also noted that Kyiv is ready to carry out the necessary changes.

On June 22, European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Vargely said that the Ukrainian authorities needed to include representatives of the international community in the Constitutional Court (CC) in order to start negotiations on joining the European Union.

On the same day, the politician said that Kyiv had already fulfilled two conditions for the reform of the judiciary and legislation on freedom of the media to join the EU, while continuing to develop the other five points.

On June 8, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Ukraine would be able to become a member of the European Union only after it met the criteria for admission to the bloc.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed an application for the country’s accession to the EU on February 28, 2022. In April of the same year, the Ukrainian authorities submitted to the European Union the completed second part of the questionnaire for obtaining the status of a candidate for accession, and in June the European Council agreed on the status of candidates for Ukraine and Moldova.

In December 2022, the Verkhovna Rada adopted all the bills that are necessary to implement the recommendations of the European Commission for the country’s accession to the EU.