Ukraine's attempt to join the European Union could move forward this week, with the bloc's executive — the European Commission — expected to recommend advancement.
The commission is set to publish a crucial report on Ukraine's membership bid on Wednesday.
Citing senior EU officials, the Reuters news agency said the report will conclude that Ukraine has cleared most of the hurdles it must negotiate before it can join the economic and political union representing 450 million people.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen carried a similar message to Ukraine's government in Kyiv on Saturday, where she said the country had made significant headway in its push to join the bloc, in spite of the challenges.
"You have made excellent progress," she said during a joint news conference alongside Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The bloc had earlier set seven conditions for Ukraine's membership bid, including reforms to its justice system, the reining in of oligarchs and tackling of money laundering, fighting corruption, and the safeguarding of minority rights.
The commission's report will be used by the leaders of the EU's member nations at a summit in December when Ukraine's membership bid will be debated. If the national leaders support Ukraine's application, formal negotiations between the nation and the bloc will then begin.
The BBC said the talks could then take several years to conclude, with Ukraine still expected to meet a raft of additional legal and economic standards. Additionally, the bloc has said it will not grant membership to a nation actively involved in a conflict.
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told The Guardian newspaper she believes the country will clear the barriers in two years.
Zelensky said Kyiv will do all in its power to meet any EU conditions.
The European Commission's report this week will also comment on the membership applications of other nations, including Georgia and Moldova.
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