The European Commission made a recommendation to give Ukraine the status of a candidate country for joining the European Union "as a step towards full EU membership." This is with reference to two sources familiar with the discussion of the decision, according to Bloomberg.

The body recommends granting a similar status to neighboring Moldova. The publication's sources also said that the European Commission recommended giving the same status to Georgia, but the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that Georgia can receive the status of a candidate for EU membership only if a number of conditions are met. They are the same for all EU candidate countries and relate to the compliance of countries' legislation with certain standards, the rule of law and the fight against corruption.

Ukraine officially applied for EU membership four days after the start of the war, on February 28, 2022. On March 1, the European Parliament supported a resolution granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership.