OREANDA-NEWS Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Ukraine a de facto part of the European Union while addressing the Luxembourg Parliament, RIA Novosti reported. According to him, Ukraine and the EU cooperate on a scale that corresponds to full membership, says in the Gazeta.ru article.

The day before the Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic said at the Congress of the European People's Party in Rotterdam that the country would support Ukraine on its path to membership in the EU. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said at a press conference following the EU summit that a number of countries currently oppose granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership.

Ukraine applied for EU membership in February, after the start of the Ukrainian crisis. In early May, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would make a decision on Kiev's status in June. In February 2019, the Rada approved amendments to Ukraine's constitution that enshrine the country's strategic course toward EU and NATO membership.