European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula von der Leyen - German doctor and politician (after Albrecht's father). Ursula Gertrude Albrecht arrived in Kyiv today on a new visit, dedicated to Ukraine's ambitions to become part of the European Union and the country's reconstruction, AFP reported.

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine 5946

"I have returned to Kyiv to meet with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and Prime Minister (Denis) Schmigal. We will analyze the joint work needed for the reconstruction, as well as the progress made by Ukraine on its path to Europe," Von der Layen told the journalists accompanying her during the visit.

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"This will provide data for our assessment, which we will present soon," she added.

This is Von der Leyen's second visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February.

During a previous visit in April, she assured that Ukraine has a European future.

EU leaders are expected to rule on Ukraine's European ambitions next week before the summit on June 23-24.

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Ukraine is urging Europeans to make a specific "legal commitment" by the end of June to gain official candidate status, but EU countries are strongly divided on the issue.

Many of them, mainly in Eastern Europe, are in favor of Ukraine's accession, while others, such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and France, which currently holds the EU presidency, have large reservations.

Even Ukraine has been granted candidate status, negotiations and potential reforms will begin, and this process could take years, even decades, before the country steps on the threshold of membership.

A number of EU countries have dashed Kyiv's hopes for an "accelerated" procedure, adds BTA.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine

Ursula von der Layen