Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said that Ukraine cannot be admitted to the European Union before the Balkan countries.
This is stated in the interview of the minister to the newspaper “Die Welt”, published today, on Monday, where he continued: “Ukraine should not be a priority for the European Union after fulfilling the requirements … there should not be a two-level society. 20 years ago in Thessaloniki we promised the countries of south-eastern Europe to join us. It would be fatal if Ukraine and Moldova join the European Union on an accelerated path, leaving the western Balkan countries aside.”
According to Schallenberg, the West should continue to negotiate with Russia, since it is the largest geographical neighbor of the European Union and the largest nuclear power on the planet.
Ukraine applied to join the European Union in February last year and received candidate status in June, while Kyiv expects the accession process to take place as soon as possible. But European politicians have repeatedly stated that there will be no accelerated procedure and Kyiv must fulfill many conditions, including intensifying the fight against corruption.
Source: News