Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, arrived in Kiev on Saturday to pay a second visit to Ukraine's hopes for joining the EU and rebuilding.
"I am back in Kyiv for a meeting with President (Volodymyr), Zelensky, and Prime Minister (Denys), Chmygal. She told journalists that she would review the joint work required for reconstruction as well as the progress made in Ukraine on the road towards Europe.
She added, "This will feed into the assessment, which will be presented shortly."
Officials from the European Union are expected to make a decision on Ukraine's European ambitions next Wednesday, before a June 23-24 summit which is also expected to address this issue.
Ukraine wants a "legal commitment" from the Europeans by June 31st to be granted official candidate status in the EU. However, the 27 Europeans are divided on this question.
Many countries, mostly in Eastern Europe, support Ukraine joining the EU. However, others, such as the Netherlands or Denmark, and Germany and France which occupied the EU's presidency until June, remain cautious.
Even if Ukraine is granted "candidate status", there will be a series of negotiations and possible reforms that could take many years before the country is ready to join the EU. . Several EU countries have also stifled kyiv’s hopes for an "accelerated” process.
On May 9, Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine would need to join the EU over a period of "decades". He suggested that Ukraine be part of a European political community while it waits.
The head of the European Union has made this the second time she has visited Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Union, assured Ukraine that it had a "European Future" during her April 8 visit.
