The EU Commission intends to complete the analysis of Ukraine's EU membership application by the end of next week.

This was announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

Surprisingly, she had traveled to Kyiv, it was her second trip to Ukraine since the outbreak of war.

The German politician left open whether, based on the analysis, her authority would recommend that the 27 member states give Ukraine unrestricted status as a candidate for EU membership.

In Kyiv, von der Leyen praised the country's parliamentary-presidential democracy and the well-functioning administration, while at the same time calling for reforms to fight corruption and modernize the administration.

Among other things, she wanted to talk to President Selenskyj about the country's reconstruction and "Ukraine's progress on its European path," as von der Leyen announced on Twitter.

Scholz for accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia

Based on the recommendation of the EU Commission, the EU states will decide how to proceed.

The views of the countries on the subject have so far differed widely, although the decision on candidate status does not anticipate the admission decision and is also not linked to a time frame.

For example, Turkey has been an EU accession candidate since 1999.

In March, shortly after the Russian war of aggression began on February 24, Ukraine submitted an application for acceptance into the EU.

The EU states then instructed the EU Commission to deal with it and make a recommendation.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on the European Union to start accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania.

It is important to give the process a new dynamic, Scholz said on Saturday during a visit to North Macedonia's capital Skopje.

He will work to ensure that the next step is taken.

Scholz is on a journey through the Western Balkans.

North Macedonia and Albania are among the countries in the region that already have EU candidate status, but accession talks have not yet started with them.

Scholz is critical of Ukraine's rapid accession.