Different Opinions On European Union Enlargement After Ukraine Plea

Top European Union official Charles Michel said Monday there were disagreements among the 27 member states on enlarging the bloc, as Kyiv appealed for membership in the face of a Russian invasion.

"There are different opinions and sensitivities within the EU on enlargement," European Council president Charles Michel said.

He said that Kyiv would have to submit an official request to join before member states -- which would have to green light membership unanimously -- could come up with a position.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged the European Union to grant his country "immediate" membership, as Russia's assault against the pro-Western country went into its fifth day.

"We appeal to the European Union for the immediate accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure," the 44-year-old leader said in a new video address.

"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'm sure it's possible."

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shymgal tweeted that "the time to put it down on paper has come. Ukraine is applying for EU membership under a special procedure."

Aspirants wanting to join the bloc typically face a long and complex process that often requires major reforms to reach EU standards.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday said that any bid for membership could take "a lot of years".

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday raised Ukrainian hopes of faster membership, when she told Euronews in an interview: "They are one of us and we want them in."

But von der Leyen's spokesman, Eric Mamer, on Monday walked that back, telling journalists that the EU chief meant that Ukraine "is a European country and we want them in, meaning Europe in general".

He added: "She then also specified that there is a process (for joining the EU). And I think that this is the important point."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)