Vucic says Ukraine closer to EU accession than Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday, January 22, that Ukraine is closer than any other candidate country to joining the European Union (EU).

"We talked about peace in Ukraine, we also discussed some issues related to the European path we are taking, just like them. So we found some common denominator," he told TV Pink.

This is how he commented on his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (his term expired last spring) on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Vucic added that it is difficult to accurately assess the prospects of individual countries joining the EU, but pointed to Kiev's political advantages.

Earlier, on January 21, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Ukraine was not yet ready to join the EU. Orban added that Ukraine's accession to the EU would lead to additional expenses for the union's countries. In addition, it would cause huge damage to Hungary's economy.

On January 20, Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki said that Ukraine's accelerated accession to the EU threatens Poland's economy. Nawrocki added that Ukraine's accession to the EU cannot be without certain conditions. He would set such conditions so that the Polish economy would be protected and the country would benefit.

Earlier, on December 12 last year, OSCE Special Representative for Ukraine Maresh told Izvestia that he intended to supervise more than 20 projects adopted bypassing Russia, as well as to prepare Kiev for EU and NATO accession.

Ukraine officially applied for EU membership on February 28, 2022.