The European Union’s 27 member states are set to formally grant Ukraine candidate status later this week, following a Monday meeting of EU ambassadors where nobody opposed the decision, according to people familiar with the matter.
The European Commission recommended last week that Ukraine be granted the status, a first — but highly symbolic — step on the long path to becoming an EU member. The bloc’s executive arm included conditions in its opinion that Kyiv will have to meet in the future on issues related to the rule of law, justice and anti-corruption.
The bloc is also set to back the commission’s opinion in granting candidate status to Moldova, as well as to Georgia if it first meets specific additional conditions, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. The status is particularly significant for Ukraine, which has invested so much of its political future on a closer relationship with Europe as it seeks moral support in countering Russian aggression.