French President Emmanuel Macron says it could take several years for Ukraine to formally join the European Union and proposed the creation of a new political organization for European countries that share common values.
Speaking in Strasbourg on May 9, Macron said the process of joining the EU under current entry rules meant it would take years.
"Even if we grant it candidate status tomorrow, we all know perfectly well that the process to allow it to join would take several years indeed, probably several decades," Macron said in a speech marking Europe Day.
Macron spoke after the European Commission said it aimed to deliver a first opinion in June on Ukraine's request to become a member.
While the 27 EU members have been fully united in backing Ukraine's resistance to Russia's invasion, there is division over how quickly the EU could move to accept Ukraine as a member.
A fast-track procedure would lead to lowering standards, Macron said, and he suggested creating a parallel entity that could appeal to countries that aspire to join the bloc.
He said this "European political community" would be open to democratic European countries adhering to its core values.
"Joining it would not necessarily prejudge future EU membership," he said, adding that it would not be "closed to those who left it," in an apparent reference to Great Britain. He also noted the hopes of countries such as Moldova and Georgia.
Macron also warned against humiliating Russia, saying this would not serve efforts for restoring peace.
"Tomorrow we'll have a peace to build, let's never forget that," he told reporters. The terms of a peace deal will be set by Ukraine and Russia, “but that will not be done through...the exclusion of one another, nor even in their humiliation."
Macron arrived later in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who described Macron's suggestion of a political community a "very interesting suggestion for dealing with the big challenge we face."
Britain, which left the European Union, could have a place in this political community, Scholz said.
He added that the EU shouldn’t stop pursuing the accession process for countries that have already begun, citing North Macedonia as an example, saying its leader had taken "very brave" decisions in recent years.
"We should find a way that this bravery isn't disappointed," Scholz said.
Macron said countries that had already embarked on the membership route and are close to joining should continue their path. But others not as far along, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina and others in the Western Balkans, may wish to consider joining a wider club instead.
Later in the evening, Macron and Scholz showed their support for Ukraine in a visit to Berlin's symbolically important Brandenburg Gate, illuminated in Ukraine's national colors.
Executive Opinion
Earlier on May 9, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that she had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and was looking forward to receiving the answers to Ukraine's membership questionnaire.
"The EU Commission will aim to deliver its opinion in June," she added.
Later she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the future of Europe was also "Ukraine's future."
Zelenskiy on April 18 handed a completed questionnaire for Ukraine achieving EU candidate status to the bloc's top official in his country and the document is now being examined.
Giving Ukraine formal candidate status would be decided by the bloc's members, who would act on the expert advice from the commission.
If approved as a candidate, Ukraine would have to go through a complex and potentially lengthy accession process that would imply meeting rigorous democratic and rule-of-law standards.
In the face of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, EU officials have said they will work to speed up the accession process as much as possible.