Zelenskiy Implores EU Lawmakers to Let Ukraine Join Bloc

(Bloomberg) -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the European Union to allow Ukraine to join the bloc, as eight national leaders in the EU pressed it to immediately grant an accession path to the country.

Zelenskiy's request has been met with enthusiasm from several member states but EU officials, who declined to be identified speaking on a confidential issue, caution that the procedure is usually long and complex.

“The EU will be definitely stronger with us,” Zelenskiy told lawmakers in the European Parliament via video link on Tuesday. “Without you, Ukraine will be lonely.”

In an open letter to the EU, the presidents of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia called for an immediate accession path to be opened for Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will travel to Brussels Tuesday afternoon to ask European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for “systemic support for Ukraine in the context of its membership in the EU,” his spokesman said.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told reporters in Brussels that the process takes years.

Zelenskiy's appeal risks antagonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin as it highlights his strong push to align Ukraine with Europe and the western alliance. Croatia was the last country to join the bloc and its application process lasted 10 years before it was formally accepted in 2013.

Accession requires the candidate country to adopt established EU law as well as to enact reforms -- including to its judicial and economic systems -- to meet the bloc's criteria.

More than 30 policy areas are examined and negotiated to make sure the nation is prepared to join -- and moving on to the next so-called chapter requires the consent of all 27 member states. The move also requires the unanimous approval of all EU members, the European Commission and the European Parliament.

Since the situation in Ukraine is dramatic, the EU could agree to speed up the procedure, according to an EU official. But there is little chance of the bloc granting membership to Ukraine soon, the official added. The European Council, which oversees accession procedures, could ask for an urgent opinion from the Commission, another official said. That usually takes between 15 and 18 months, the official added.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Monday after talks with her Slovenian counterpart in Berlin that “the EU has always been a house with open doors” and “Ukraine is a part of the European house.” She added that “accession is not something that can be completed in a few months, but involves an intensive and far-reaching process of transformation.”