President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Kyiv is already planning the steps it will take after the European Commission issues a report on November 8 on Ukraine's progress toward membership in the European Union.
"Tomorrow is an important day," Zelenskiy said in his evening video address on November 7.
"We are anticipating a historic conclusion from the European Union -- a report on Ukraine's implementation of the European Commission's recommendations."
Zelenskiy said Ukraine had already come a long way toward building stronger ties with the EU and was fully aware that the decision to join is a political one but also depends on the candidate and its work to adapt EU standards and norms.
EU membership represents economic security and social stability for Ukraine, he said, adding that it is critical that the Ukrainian parliament continues to support the legislative efforts required for European integration.
"Ukraine will join the EU. And we will achieve this in particular as a result of our state's internal transformation that is completely consistent with the interests of our people," Zelenskiy said.
The EU assessment is expected to detail how far Ukraine has come in fulfilling economic, legal, and other criteria needed to start accession talks.
The 27 member states are due at a summit in December to decide whether to allow Kyiv to begin the negotiations, a move requiring the unanimous backing of all the bloc's members.
Ukraine applied to join the EU days after Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The European Council granted Ukraine and Moldova candidate status in June of that year.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on November 7 after talks in Brussels that the European Commission was "impressed" with the results of reforms that Ukraine has shown against the backdrop of the war.
He said he heard "very simple and clear words" from one commissioner, who said that the commission was delighted with the results of reforms that Ukraine has shown, particularly in the midst of Russia’s full-scale war, and the changes Ukraine is implementing for attaining EU membership "really impresses everyone."
Kuleba said this was "a real assessment of the mood prevailing in the European Commission."
