Ukraine could become a full member of the European Union by 2030, European Council President Charles Michel said in an interview with the German publication Spiegel on Oct. 3.

“Ukraine may indeed become a member of the EU in 2030 if both sides do their homework," Michel said.

Michel did not give his opinion as to how well Ukraine currently meets EU membership standards.

“Ukraine and other candidate countries for accession to the EU must actively and steadily carry out reforms, fight corruption and comply with legal conditions,” he said.

On Oct. 2, foreign ministers of EU nations convened in Kyiv for a historic meeting.

Following the meeting, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the officials had agreed to move Ukraine's candidacy forward "with maximum speed."

Ukraine joins seven other candidate nations in seeking accession to the EU: Turkey, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Opinion: Weakness is lethal. Why Putin invaded Ukraine and how the war must end

Editor’s Note: This is an analysis by Nataliya Bugayova, Kateryna Stepanenko, and Frederick W. Kagan for the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). This analysis was originally published by the ISW on Oct. 1, 2023, and has been republished by the Kyiv Independent with permission. Russian President V…

The Kyiv IndependentNataliya Bugayova