European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, during her surprise visit to Kyiv, announced that the EU is "hopeful that accession negotiations of Ukraine can begin already this year." According to a statement published by her spokesperson who accompanied her to Ukraine, Metsola told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “Never give up,” referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Speaking with the Ukrainian press in Lviv, Metsola noted that the negotiations on Kyiv's negotiation for its EU membership bid will start "as soon as possible" in 2023. 

"The pace with which the Verkhovna Rada and the government is making progress on the EU application impresses me," Metsola said.

Thanking her, Zelenskyy noted, "Ukraine aims to complete the implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission as soon as possible and to start negotiations on joining the EU already this year."

Ukraine's future is in EU: Metsola

Earlier, Natalie Forsyuk, Director General of the Governmental Office on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, said in a statement that Ukraine has to undergo a series of bureaucratic procedures to attain membership in the bloc. The entire process, he stressed, might take nearly seven years and Ukraine may become an official member of the EU. The bloc granted Ukraine official candidacy status on June 23, 2022. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent a formal application, seeking membership in the bloc on 28 February 2022, just days after Russia ordered what it describes as a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Based on the Commission’s unanimous opinion, Ukraine was given a European perspective and granted candidacy by the 27 EU Member States. 

Speaking about prospective membership of Kyiv into the EU, Metsola said, "Ukraine's future is in the European Union." She reiterated that the final decision for approving the bid depends on EU member state governments. Around the time that  Zelenskyy had submitted an expedited application to join the EU, Slovakia had proposed a "special procedure" for the war-ridden nation's quick accession. As many as 637 members voted 'yes', while 13 voted against the motion. 26 member states abstained in the voting. President of the EU, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Ukraine must be accepted since the country already maintains strong ties with the bloc.