“Anyone who has dealt with Ukraine knows that it is a country that is corrupt at all levels of society,” Jean-Claude Juncker told German news outlet the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, in an interview published on Thursday.
Despite all efforts, Kyiv has not yet managed to successfully join the European Union. Juncker warned Ukraine’s membership would require massive internal reform, and said the EU had already had poor experiences negotiating the rule of law with new members. The former premier said such issues should not be repeated, and warned against EU members making “false promises” to Ukraine while its people were suffering.
However, Juncker did not rule out Ukraine’s prospects of attaining membership, suggesting the possibility of a partial membership to take part in European integration. The former European Commission head also praised the country’s efforts against the Russian invasion and described them as defending European values.
