European Commission president targets ‘End of next week’ for assessment of request for candidate status.

Von der Leyen, on her second visit to Kyiv since Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine, indicated that the Commission should be able to complete its assessment of whether the country should be granted candidate status to join the EU within the coming week. 

"The discussions today will enable us to finalize our assessment by the end of next week," Von der Leyen said in a statement, while stressing that the process "is a merit-based path forward."

Ukraine has "Done a lot in strengthening the rule of law, but there still needs to be reforms implemented, to fight corruption for example," she said.

Von der Leyen has championed Ukraine’s bid, saying there’s no question that the country belongs in “the European family.” 

Yet other key players, notably Germany and France, have voiced reservations about accelerating Ukraine’s EU membership bid, a process that usually takes many years. 

Ukrainian leaders have pushed the EU to grant candidate status, insisting that they don’t want special treatment and are prepared to fulfill the EU’s stringent entry requirements.