Zelensky signs application but fast approval unlikely within divided bloc

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky formally signed an application on Monday for his country to join the European Union, but the prospects for a quick accession are remote despite the support offered by several EU member states.

The signing came after Zelensky made a call for the EU to accept Ukraine and comments by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that "they are one of us and we want them in".

"We ask the European Union for Ukraine's immediate accession via a new special procedure," Zelensky said on Monday.

"Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing. I'm sure it's fair. I am sure it's possible."

But the decision on Ukraine's membership must be made by the EU's 27 member states, with a unanimous agreement required for acceptance of any new member. And within the EU, there has been little public appetite over the past years for EU enlargement.

European Council President Charles Michel told French TV station BFM on Monday that there will be a debate about making Ukraine a member of the EU.

"This is a debate which, in any case, will be held," he said, adding that the EU already had a "very powerful" association agreement with Ukraine which could be reinforced.

He also admitted earlier that there were "different opinions and sensitivities within the EU on enlargement".

The European Parliament published a motion on Monday night with the support of all the parliament's major political groups. It called on the EU to push toward "granting EU candidate status to Ukraine".

On Monday, the presidents of eight Central and Eastern European nations called on EU member states to immediately grant Ukraine the status of an EU candidate and to open membership talks.

The presidents of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia said in an open letter that they "strongly believe that Ukraine deserves receiving an immediate EU accession perspective".

Measured responses

But Germany and France, the EU's two most influential members, gave measured responses on Monday to the calls for Ukraine's fast-track membership.

"Ukraine is part of this European house, and we know that the desire of many Ukrainians is and was to have closer ties with the EU," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told a news conference in Berlin along with Slovenian counterpart Anze Logar.

"Everyone is aware, as the president of the (European) Commission emphasized yesterday, that joining the EU is not something that can be done in a few months, but that it involves an intensive and far-reaching transformation process."

An Elysee Palace official said that France welcomed Ukraine's EU aspirations but they should be part of a broader debate on the future of the bloc, also including other would-be members.

Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey are the five official candidates for EU membership. Some accession talks have lasted more than a decade with no conclusion in sight.

The EU members have a mutual defense clause under the Treaty of Lisbon. It requires other members to aid a country if it's "the victim of armed aggression on its territory", which might further complicate Ukraine's EU membership prospect.

Amid increasing sanctions from Western countries, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, however, said on Monday that Brazil will not impose sanctions on Russia, according to multiple media reports.

Agencies contributed to this story.