Leaders of the European Union are planning to grant candidacy status to Ukraine, according to a draft joint statement seen by Bloomberg, in a symbolic victory for a nation that has spent the past four months trying to fend off Russia’s invasion.
The decision means that all 27 members agreed to grant Ukraine the first step on a years-long and difficult path to joining the bloc. The leaders plan to say that EU states will decide on the next steps of the process after Ukraine fully meets a long list of conditions related to the rule of law, justice and anti-corruption set out by the European Commission.
