Ukraine's path to joining the European Union will be long and difficult, although the EU will support Ukraine throughout, said Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister. 

"Ukrainians ... see a future in Europe, in the EU. The road there will still be long and, of course, sometimes difficult, but we are doing our best to support Ukraine in the process of harmonizing its legal system and standards with EU standards, thereby paving the way for accession," Baerbock told Romanian broadcaster Digi 24.

According to Baerbock, the EU leadership must also prepare for accession because it is not enough to simply "raise new flags over the Council building in Brussels." 

"We need to think about how to maintain the ability to act and make decisions in an enlarged Union. That is why we support reforms, such as the use of the qualified majority voting system in a number of areas," the minister added.

In June this year, the European Commission recommended granting EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. 

In May, France's Europe minister, Clement Beaune, reportedly said Ukraine's EU membership was "15 or 20 years" away from being realized.

"We have to be honest. If you say Ukraine is going to join the EU in six months, or a year or two, you're lying," Beaune said, speaking to a local radio station. "It's probably in 15 or 20 years, it takes a long time."

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