Ukraine May Soon Become an EU Candidate. Here's What That Means.

Ukraine will not join the European Union in the foreseeable future, though it may soon become an official candidate, which could ultimately prolong the war with Russia by adding yet another obstacle to peace talks. On April 18, the Ukrainian government announced it had fully responded to a set of questions from the European Union regarding its application to become a member of the bloc. Then on April 19, a spokesperson for the European Commission said that Brussels was working on a recommendation for the European Council on the issue. These events happened amid growing reports in European media that Brussels could suggest the heads of government and state of EU member countries to consider formally granting Ukraine the official candidate status during a summit on June 23-24....