Germany insists on Ukraine's full-fledged EU membership, Zelensky counts on prompt decision

KYIV. May 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Germany insists that Ukraine should be granted full-fledged membership in the European Union, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.

"We insists on Ukraine's full-fledged membership in the EU. We want to carry out in-depth reform in the EU. I want to make it clear that now is not the time for go through all sections. Rather, the time has come to take a very clear-cut position," Baerbock said at a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that he counts on the EU's positive decision on granting Ukraine the EU candidate country status in June of this year.

"We took one more step today. It is a highly important step, not just formal one, on our path to the EU. Ukraine has submitted the second part of the special questionnaire that each country that aspires to become part of the EU has to fill out. Usually, it takes months, but we did it in a matter of weeks," Zelensky said in a video address in the early hours of Tuesday.

"I hope to receive a positive reply in June on granting our country the EU candidate country status," he said.

On May 9, Ukraine submitted the second completed part of the questionnaire to the EU, which will now decide whether Ukraine meets the criteria of an EU candidate country.

In this document, Ukraine assessed the compliance of its legislation with Europe's laws (acquis communautaire). The replies to the second part of the questionnaire consist of some 4,000 pages and detail Ukrainian legislation following the eight years of implementing the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement.