‘No shortcuts’ to Ukraine’s EU membership

Ukraine's bid to join the EU cannot be sped up despite the country's invasion by Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said yesterday, adding that the bloc must find a "fast and pragmatic" way to help Kyiv.

"There are no shortcuts on the way to the EU," Scholz said, adding that an exception for Ukraine would be unfair to the Western Balkan countries also seeking membership. "The accession process is not a matter of a few months or years," he said.

Scholz had in April called for Western Balkan countries' efforts to join the EU to be accelerated amid a "new era" in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.