In an interview with Euractiv, Pierre Mirel, honorary director-general of the European Commission, said European countries may need more than 15 years to establish the conditions required for Ukraine’s reliable defense.

He described the idea of extending the EU’s mutual defense clause to Ukraine before it becomes a full member as unusual. In his assessment, Europe will still not be ready to defend Ukraine by 2040.

The European Union granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova in June 2022. EU politicians later acknowledged on several occasions that the decision was largely symbolic and intended to demonstrate support for Kiev and Kishinev in their confrontation with Moscow.

In May this year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed giving Ukraine associate membership in the European Union and extending to it the mutual defense commitments enshrined in the EU treaty.

Kiev’s demands for Western security guarantees have changed repeatedly. In recent years, Ukraine has sought either NATO membership or defense commitments from the alliance comparable to those applied to new members.

Other options raised by the Ukrainian side included the deployment of a foreign military contingent on its territory, along with continued economic and military assistance.