The European Commission next month will respond to Ukraine’s application for membership in the European bloc, a key move before the 27 member states address the issue. This was stated on May 9 by the head of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen.

Von der Leyen wrote on Twitter that he had talked to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and can not wait to accept Ukraine’s answers to the membership questionnaire.

“The EU commission will aim to give its opinion in June,” she added.

Later in the day, in an address to the European Parliament, she said that Europe’s future is also “Ukraine’s future”.

Zelensky on April 18 submitted a completed questionnaire to EU officials to apply for EU candidate status and now this document is being reviewed.

The granting of candidate status to Ukraine will be decided by the members of the bloc, who will act on the advice of experts of the European Commission.

If candidate status is approved, Ukraine will have to go through a complex and potentially lengthy accession process, which must demonstrate compliance with strict democratic and rule of law standards.

But given the unprovoked Russian occupation of Ukraine, EU officials have said they will work to speed up the process.