EU leader to visit Ukraine ahead of membership talks decision

KIEV, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will visit Ukraine this month, the TSN.ua media outlet reported Thursday, citing Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina.

During her visit, von der Leyen will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of the European Union (EU) announcement of its decision regarding the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the bloc, Stefanishina said.

The parties will discuss Ukraine's progress toward EU membership, which will be presented by the European Commission in the final report on Nov. 8, she said.

Ukraine expects a positive decision regarding the launch of the accession talks with the EU, Stefanishina said.

According to Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko, von der Leyen will visit Ukraine on Nov. 4.

In June 2022, EU leaders accepted Ukraine as a candidate for membership in the bloc.

Last month, Zelensky said the launch of talks on accession to the EU this year is a top priority for Ukraine.