The EU membership process can take years and involves broad economic, judicial and political ["]changes["]. Even Balkan countries, like North Macedonia, that are carrying out such changes have spent years waiting for permission to even begin negotiations.

A number of EU capitals, including France, are wary of accepting any new members.

The EU did sign a ["]broad trade and political agreement["] with Ukraine in 2014, a pact that the Kremlin [?] had tried to defeat.