Ukraine will not be able to become a member of the EU while Russian troops are on its territory. One of the conditions for Ukraine's entry into the European Union is the cessation of the war and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.. This was stated by the Deputy head of the European Commission Frans Timmermans in an interview with DW.

" But the whole idea is that Ukraine emerges from this conflict as a winner, sovereign, independent, free and has the opportunity to make this choice itself.. And I think Ukraine is fighting to make it happen.. The EU must support Ukraine in achieving this goal,” this is how Timmermans answered the question of whether Ukraine can become a member of the EU if there are Russian troops on Ukrainian territory..

Frans Timmermans compared the potential accession of Ukraine to the EU in terms of the level of influence with the largest one-time expansion of the bloc in 2004. In his opinion, this will really change the nature of the EU..

“To prove that these are not just talks, we need to show live what exactly we can do to bring Ukraine closer to the EU,” Timmermans said..

“We must respond to this by saying to Ukraine: OK, now you have adopted this law, in the coming years we will help you implement it, and we will support you so that its implementation is successful.. This pre-accession process will be extremely important, but we must start it immediately,"

Timmermans also noted the potential role of Ukraine in the implementation of the energy transition strategy in the EU.

“We need to make Ukraine part of the future EU hydrogen economy. Ukraine is ideally placed to become a major producer of green hydrogen and biomethane for the goods that Europe's clean economy will need in the future,” he explained..

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When Ukraine received the status of a candidate for EU accession, the European Commission announced that in order to accept Kyiv, it is necessary to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria - the conditions for joining the EU, adopted in 1993. In particular, the existence of stable state institutions, a market economy, as well as the ability to effectively fulfill the obligations of an EU member.

In addition, the European Commission formulated seven conditions that Ukraine must fulfill on its way to join the EU.. In particular, we are talking about judicial reforms, the fight against corruption, de-oligarchization, as well as policy towards national minorities..