Ukraine fed up with EU integration fudging, says foreign minister

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine is fed up with “special solutions” and separate models for its integration into the European Union and wants full membership, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron this month suggested creating a “European political community” that would create a new structure allowing closer cooperation with countries seeking EU membership.

“We need a clear legal affirmation that Ukraine is a part of the European integration project, and such an affirmation would be the granting of candidate status,” Kuleba said after a meeting with French counterpart Catherine Colonna in Kyiv.

France has tried to reassure Kyiv that an initiative to forge closer ties between the bloc and aspiring members would not replace their bids to join.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who held a meeting with Colonna later, said Kyiv was counting on French support for granting Ukraine the status of EU candidate, the president’s press office said.

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, will give its opinion on Ukraine’s candidacy request in June. Even if approved, the process takes several years and can be vetoed by any member state.

(Reporting by Max HunderWriting by Nerijus AdomaitisEditing by Tomasz Janowski and David Goodman)