Leaders of four EU countries have decided to grant Ukraine candidate status without additional conditions, but then they will impose conditions for reforms at all stages.

The French president shared that with European Pravda and a group of Ukrainian journalists during his visit to Kyiv.

Emmanuel Macron explained that a visit to Ukraine of the leaders of the three largest economies of the EU - Germany, Italy, and France, as well as the President of Romania - was aimed at forming unanimity in the European Union on Ukraine's first step towards accession.

"You know there was some disagreement in granting Ukraine candidacy in Europe. So I decided that it was best to come now, uniting the countries that support Ukraine's candidacy. So that later, in 8 days, we make efforts to gain unanimity in the EU and approve candidate status," he said.

As you know, this decision has to be approved unanimously by the EU.

Macron stressed that Ukraine should receive candidate status on June 23. But then, Ukraine must meet the conditions in the accession process.

"Once the status of a candidate is granted, then the conditions will be provided for the opening of each negotiations section," he said. To agree on the membership terms, Ukraine and the EU must open and close more than 30 negotiating chapters.

The President of France clarified that the EU is not forming a package of conditions now.

"President Zelensky and I did not discuss the conditions because the main task in Ukraine now is to win the war... We will formulate the conditions later," he said.

The European Commission's opinion on Ukraine's, Georgia's, and Moldova's applications for the membership candidacy is expected on June 17.

As previously reported, after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, and Romania backed immediate EU candidate status for Ukraine.

Find out more in the article Will the EU Offer Ukraine Candidate Status and What Defines It?